His to Keep (Beauty and the Brit) (9 page)

He pocketed the dice and stepped behind the sofa, advancing toward her. Brynn’s breath caught and held as he moved closer. When he reached her, he fingered a long, dark wave. “You look beautiful.”

As she swallowed, his gaze was pulled to her graceful neck. The red welts didn’t appear. Iain chose to take that as a good sign. Perhaps she was getting used to him.

She raised her navy eyes upward. “You’re still here.”

“You’re still observant.”

“You met Natasha?”

Working his jaw from side to side, he nodded. “Yeah. She’s mental,” he whispered. “But she’s fond of you, which means she can’t be all bad.” Bending, he brushed a soft kiss on her lips before releasing her hair. Then he stepped aside and allowed her to pass, but he placed his hand on her lower back. Her muscles tensed at his touch before relaxing.

Brynn smiled at Natasha. “Trouble with Zeke?”

“He is stubborn man.”

“That’s going around.” Brynn moved away from Iain and gently picked up one of the sleeping dogs, placing it on the floor. “Do you think we could keep Moose and Squirrel off the furniture?”

Tasha huffed and relocated the other dog to her lap. “Whatever. Zeke the pig is on my list of shit. Can I watch your TV?”

“Of course. There’s a veggie lasagna in the freezer.”

Tash glared at Iain. “You remember what I say, Englishman.”

“Don’t know that I can forget it. As threats go, it was rather vivid.”

Iain followed Brynn to the front door. On the way out of the house, he stopped and nodded at the grouping of framed black-and-white photos. Old Vegas—the Welcome to Vegas sign, the Fremont East District arch, the neon Silver Slipper.

“These are impressive,” he said.

“Thanks. I took them.”

“You’re gifted.” He hadn’t seen photography listed as one of her hobbies. Why hadn’t that been included, and what else was missing?

“Not really. I haven’t picked up a camera since college.” Brynn’s eyes bounced away from him and she walked out the door.

Iain followed. “Why not? You’re obviously good at it.”

“I don’t have time.” She stood on the porch, and the setting sun bathed her face in orange and pink lights. The mountains behind her appeared hazy in the distance. “Why are you still here?”

Iain had been reluctant to leave while she was still cross with him. “Well, here’s the thing, love—I don’t like to get a girl naked, finger fuck her, and then just toddle off without saying good night. Unlike some people, who disappear without a word and then refuse to answer their phone all day, that’s not my style.”

Brynn closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. “You’re too much.”

“Thank you.”

“That might have sounded like a compliment, but I was just stating a fact.”

“That’s not the way I heard it. So what’s her story, anyway? The mad Russian?”

“She’s Belarusian, and she’s only been in the country for eight months.”

“A mail-order bride, then?” Iain had seen a lot of that in this town. Older, wealthy men. Poor, younger women desperate to leave their home country. Classic business model—supply and demand.

Brynn stepped off the porch and walked along the path to the driveway. “Sort of. But I wouldn’t use that term around her if I were you. She doesn’t like it. Tasha’s settling in, getting to know her new husband. She’s just lonely.”

“You’re a soft touch.”

“Yeah, I am, but that doesn’t mitigate the fact that she’s my friend and she’s in need.”

“Fuck me,” he muttered. “What’s with you and the fancy words? Listen, my pet, the world is full of givers and takers. That woman in there, she’s a taker. She may be your friend, but never forget that.”

With a deep sigh, Brynn’s shoulders rose and fell. “Have you considered that perhaps your view of the world is a tad rigid?”

“No, I haven’t. I like my view of the world. Everything looks small from up here.”

She reached the car and glanced at him. “Very funny. But life’s not that black and white. You don’t look for the good in people, Iain, or take into account their frailties. In fact, people are incidental to you, unless you can use them to your advantage.”

That struck a bit too close to home. She wasn’t wrong, though. If there was one thing Iain was good at—besides making piles of money—it was reading people, finding their weaknesses, and then exploiting them for his own gain. Brynn’s was her soft heart. She let people step all over it, take advantage of her.
Aren’t you doing the same thing?
Yes, he was, but he would never hurt her. Brynn brought out strange, protective instincts in Iain that he hadn’t even been aware he possessed.

“You have a very low opinion of me.” Accurate and well deserved, but low just the same. Iain placed his hands on her shoulders, then moved them up under her thick waves of hair and beneath the collar of her jacket. He rubbed the pads of his fingers against her neck. Brynn’s blind faith in people would end in tears. She needed saving from herself. Somehow, Iain was beginning to truly care about Brynn Campbell. And her
feelings
.

So where did that leave him? He couldn’t give up on meeting Trevor Blake, pitching his ideas to the reclusive tycoon. The chance to make tens of millions was too great. And he wasn’t going to stop chasing after Brynn either. Iain wanted Brynn in his bed and Trevor’s money for his project. One had nothing to do with the other.

Brynn curled her hands around his wrists. The contact made Iain forget his train of thought for a moment.

He didn’t stop touching her though, sliding his palms along her soft skin. Stray hairs at her nape tickled the backs of his fingers, and she smelled fantastic. Iain desperately wanted another taste of her lips, her smooth cheek, her hot throat, but he wanted to know what her pussy tasted like most of all. He imagined she would be tantalizingly sweet, like a ripe, juicy plum.

“I have to go,” she said.

“You should stay. Kick the Russian out, and I’ll spend the rest of the night making you come.”

Her eyes grew huge. She was tempted, he could tell.

“No, I’m having dinner with my sisters. If I’m a no-show, I’ll never live it down.” She backed away from him, but Iain pulled her closer. He lowered his head and put every ounce of expertise into one last kiss. His tongue stroked hers and he gently sucked on her lower lip. Brynn responded immediately. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she kissed him back.

When Iain’s cock was so hard he could barely tolerate it, he raised his head. He either needed to shag her or let her go. “Stay,” he whispered. He’d been so wrapped up in business this afternoon, he hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to her. Really talk. He wanted to fix that right now. Tonight. Iain wanted to hear all the details of her life and get to know her properly. He’d never felt like this about a woman in his entire bloody life, but everything about Brynn Campbell fascinated him.

“I can’t.” Brynn shoved at his chest, and Iain dropped his hands, disappointed. He was used to having his way. Being turned down by Brynn was a bit of a blow to his ego.

Before she got into the car, she gave him one last look. “How did you know my address? I’m not listed, so you must have checked up on me.”

Iain stopped breathing. Too right he had, and if Brynn knew the extent of just how thoroughly, she’d probably get in her car and run him down. Brynn was a private person and he’d invaded every part of her life. Iain could justify it to himself, but he was starting to feel guilty about deceiving her. Yet what was the alternative?

“I have my ways. Good night, Brynn.”

The next morning, Brynn stumbled into the office grasping a large cup of black coffee. Sisters Night Out had been less of a meal and more of an interrogation. After busting Brynn’s chops for being late, then handing her a margarita the size of a fish bowl, Allie had tilted her head to one side and stared Brynn down. Her oldest sister had known immediately something was off and began blasting Brynn with a million questions. She did her best to deflect them, all the while thinking about Iain—his handsome face, his gorgeous body, and
that orgasm
. But soon Monica joined in, alternately quizzing Brynn about her love life and nagging her to ask for a raise. Eventually they grew tired of her evasions. When Allie asked Monica if she was pregnant or just bloated, they started going after each other, leaving Brynn to stew in her margarita and thoughts of Iain.

When she’d finally gotten home and entered her bedroom, she took one look at the wrinkled comforter and grew hot all over again. Was it any wonder she couldn’t sleep a wink? At one point, she’d flipped on her bedside light and grabbed her sketch pad. Her pencil flew across the page as she drew Iain, all of the expressions she’d seen cross his beautiful features—anger, amusement, sexual dominance. Then she drew his body from memory, thinking about how he felt, how he smelled and tasted. When her hand became sore, she finally put the pad away, but she still couldn’t sleep.

As she got ready for work, she became determined to find a way to get through to Cass. Brynn couldn’t be Iain’s trainer—and not just for personal reasons. She was terrible at it and he wasn’t learning anything. Brynn just wanted to put this whole incident behind her, get back to business as usual, and forget all about Iain Chapman. Yeah okay, that was unlikely, but she needed to try. He wasn’t right for her.
Sure as hell felt right though, didn’t he, jellyfish?

Paige caught up to Brynn as she passed the break room. “I’m still bitter that my breakfast of choice, a.k.a., a Snickers bar, is now verboten. This”—she waved a KitKat—“is not the same.” She ripped into it and gave Brynn a once over. “Wow, rough night? Were you working late again? You look exhausted.”

“Yeah. Thanks again for covering for me yesterday.”

“So are we on for sushi this afternoon?”

“Sure.”

Paige placed her hand on Brynn’s arm, pulling her to a stop. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. What did Cass do now? And how long are you going to put up with it?”

That was a familiar refrain. Seemed like Brynn had a consensus on her hands. Everyone agreed she needed to stand up to her boss. Yet if it were that easy, Brynn would have done it already. Life didn’t work like that. Developing new character traits wasn’t a quick-fix proposition. Brynn had taken enough training to know that. But she did need to get firm with Cassandra. Somehow.

As they rounded the corner, Brynn spotted Cass standing outside her office, arms folded. “Brynn. I need to speak to you.”

“Well, here’s your chance to make a stand. You can do it, Brynn.” Paige toasted her with the candy bar.

Once in Cass’s office, Brynn shut the door while her boss positioned herself behind the cluttered desk. Brown stains covered papers that hadn’t been moved since Monday’s coffee disaster. The binders were still haphazardly spread across the floor. What on earth did she do in here all day?

Cass’s hair was loose, and static made the baby-fine curls shoot out from her head like filaments. White cat hair coated her black blouse, leaving it fuzzy. “I wanted to thank you for your kind words last night. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, and I realized something very important. I’m not perfect, Brynn.”

Oh, Cass.
“Glad I was there for you.”

“But I’m a damned good woman,” she continued, as if Brynn hadn’t spoken. “I have a lot to offer some special man, one who can ejaculate in a timely fashion.”

Brynn found herself nodding. “Of course you do.” She began backing toward the door. “You hang in there, Cass. Your special man is out there.”

“Wait, that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you. I don’t know what you did yesterday, and frankly, I don’t care.”

Yesterday? Brynn cast her mind back over the day’s events. Iain. She’d nearly had sex with Iain. “I…I was working. Like always.”

“You must have been. I didn’t think you had it in you, kiddo, but kudos, Brynn. Kud. Ohs.” Cass shoved aside a six-inch stack of papers, knocking over a pencil holder in the process.

Brynn stepped forward and, kneeling, picked up the pens and pencils. Keeping her eyes on the floor, her mind raced. What the hell had she done yesterday? Sent off a proposal to the savings and loan, finalized a cartoon for the dry cleaner, and conferenced in with the marketing people to run an ad in the paper. She shoved the pencil holder back on the desk.

Standing, Brynn settled her bag back on her shoulder. “Um, thanks?”

“Mr. Chapman was very impressed with you. Very. Impressed.”

Iain.
What was he up to now? “I’m not sure why. We didn’t really get very far.” Unless being held down while getting fingered counted.
Stop going there. Mind on something else.

“Nevertheless, he wants his people to take a course in accountability and efficiency. He’s given us carte blanche to create a specialized, intensive course for his core employees.”

Panic raced through Brynn. He was clearly doing this in a bid to see her again. He was so freaking manipulative. “What does this mean for me, exactly?”

Cass threw her hands in the air. “You need to study his business firsthand. Talk to all of the employees and assess Mr. Chapman’s needs.”

Brynn already knew his needs. They actively involved his penis. “But that could take weeks.”

Cass sat back, a smug smile on her bright orange lips. “It could take
months
if you do it right.”

Iain Chapman didn’t want training for his employees. He thought her job was bullshit. He was pushing his way into her life once more. And Brynn, being Brynn, would let him. He was a control freak. A man determined to get his own way. It probably wasn’t even personal with him—he just didn’t like being thwarted.

After taking a breath so deep she became light-headed, Brynn blurted out, “No, I won’t do it. You’ll have to find someone else.”

Cass’s mouth fell open. She stared at Brynn for a full minute. “I beg your pardon?”

Brynn realized what she’d just said—the dreaded word that always eluded her. Now she gathered all of her courage and repeated it. “No.”

Cassandra rose. “Brynn, we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars here. Months’ worth of work.”

Brynn opened and closed her fists, forcing her feet to remain in place when all she wanted to do was hightail it out of there and hide in her own office. “I know. But I’m too busy. I’m way behind on work as it is. I can’t. I…I
won’t
.”

Scooting out from behind her desk and scuttling between stacks of folders, Cass moved toward her. “What’s wrong with you?” she hissed. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but you have to take this job.”

Brynn needed to stick to her guns on this. Iain was a man hell-bent on seduction. But Brynn’s libido was directly linked to her heart. She was afraid of falling so deep and so hard that she’d never dig herself out. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“TDTC needs all the income we can generate right now.”

That sounded ominous. “Is the company in trouble?”

“Not exactly, but sort of.” Cass placed two fingers against her temple. “Office rent is increasing, and we’ve already tapped out our existing clients. This is an important job. There is no one else, Brynn. Iain Chapman only wants you.”

That summed it up. Iain wanted her.
You want him, too.
Yeah, but she had a stack of reasons why this wasn’t a good idea.
And the mother of all orgasms that says otherwise.
She silenced that annoying voice that always told the truth whether Brynn wanted to hear it or not, and today—not.

Brynn gazed into Cass’s eyes to try and gauge if the other woman was lying. The look of worry clouding her pale features was real. “Cass, I literally don’t have time for this.”

Cass’s eyes hardened the way they sometimes did. “I’m not asking. I’m telling. You
will
do this for me, and you will get the rest of your work done. It’s not up for discussion.”

Brynn flinched.

Rubbing a hand across her stomach, she realized she was going to have to face Iain after all. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. But that argument rang hollow, mainly because Brynn’s heart was pounding like crazy at the thought of seeing him again. Of smelling that yummy cologne and staring up into his warm, brown eyes. Oh, this was bad. She was starting to develop real feelings for Iain Chapman.

Cass cleared her throat and forced a smile, flashing a smear of orange lipstick on her front tooth. Brynn let her bitchy side take the fore and didn’t mention it. “Sorry. I’m just feeling stressed right now because of Michael. Nef’s not feeling any better either. Look, I don’t want to argue. I just want you to do your job.”

Brynn reined in thoughts of Iain and focused on Cass. “I hope you’re serious about getting an assistant. I can’t keep up this pace anymore.”

“You do this for me, and we’ll get you some help.”

Brynn wanted to believe her, but she was skeptical. Last night, Monica had reminded Brynn how much Cass took advantage of her. Honestly, Brynn was tired of it, tired of being taken for granted, of being manipulated. She needed to fight for herself. Somehow, thinking of her sisters, of Iain, gave her the courage to start now. “I want a time frame, Cass. When are you going to place an ad for an assistant?”

“After this job is through. You create a customized curriculum for Blue Moon Corp., and I’ll keep my end of the bargain. You are such a fabulous employee and a real friend. I’m glad you’re here as my right-hand woman.” She grabbed hold of Brynn’s left hand and squeezed.

With a sigh Brynn felt all the way to her toes, she nodded. “Okay.”

Cass brightened. “Great. Mr. Chapman wants
to see you this morning. Off you go.” She dropped
Brynn’s hand and waved her off with a shooing gesture. Brynn turned to go, but as she grabbed the door handle, she glanced back. “Cass. You’ve got lipstick on your teeth.”

“Oh.” She reached in her drawer for a compact. “Thanks for telling me. What would I do without you, Brynn?”

Walking out of the office, Brynn found Paige waiting for her. “Well, what did she want?” she whispered. “I know you’re not fired—you’re too valuable.”

Brynn headed across the room with Paige trailing behind. When Brynn caught a few questioning glances from the sales team, she lowered her eyes and slipped into her office. Paige crammed herself in the tiny space and shut the door.

“That guy who kept calling yesterday, he wants me to personally assess and train his employees.” Brynn dropped into her chair, her shoulders slumping forward.

“What about all your other work?”

“I’ll have to keep coming in on weekends until she hires an assistant.”

Paige scoffed. “When will that be?”

“When I finish this job. If she doesn’t follow through, I’m going to have to issue an ultimatum.”
Confront Cass or get a pap smear?
Damn, that was a hard one.

Paige perched her butt on the edge of Brynn’s desk. “Tell her to go fuck herself. You’re too talented for this place, Brynn.”

“I can’t just leave her in the lurch, and this guy asked for me specifically.”

“What’s his hotness factor?”

“He goes to eleven.”

“Good. At least you’re getting some eye candy out of this situation. And you are
not
coming in on the weekends—I forbid it. Call me later. I’ll take a rain check on the sushi.” She pushed off the desk, and as she retreated from the office, she left the door open.

Ted poked his head into the room as Brynn gathered her things. “Hey, Brynn, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Did you have time to put together a proposal for the savings and loan place?”

She glanced up. “Yeah, I sent it out yesterday.”

He pointed his finger like a gun and winked. “Thanks, Brynn. You’re the greatest.”

No, she was the weakest of the herd. Easy pickings. The runt. Now, for more practical matters: How was she going to handle Iain? Maybe if she simply pretended like last night never happened, she might make it through the day. Brynn was really good at ignoring things she didn’t want to face. It was one of her few real talents.

On her way out the door, Peanut Allergy Brandon parked in front of her. “Hey, Brynn, I’ve been meaning to ask you, could you send out an email blast for me? I just don’t have the time. I can shoot you a list of my clients. Thanks.” He tossed out a grin and walked off without waiting for an answer.

Taking a deep breath, Brynn called after him, “Brandon?”

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“I’d like to, but I’m really swamped right now.”

“Me too.” He took three steps toward her. “If I don’t make my quota this month, I’m afraid Cass will give me the ax. I’m trying to hustle up a few new clients this week, and hopefully, I’ll get a nibble. Plus, everyone’s pissed off at me because of the peanut thing.”