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Seriously, where was the wisdom—and the self-respect, I might add—in rubbing up against your ultimate crush when he didn’t even like you? Where was the wisdom in teasing and kissing and engaging in a game of sexual chicken with him?
My pride had refused to let me back down from his silent challenge, just as my hormones had refused to get their shit together when he touched me. And now I wasn’t going to be able to look at him without thinking of that explosive kiss, or stop myself from wanting a repeat.
So. Yeah. It would have been great if I could have kept a nice, big physical distance from him. But Judy had made that impossible.
I once more silently cursed my grandmother as I slid out of the vehicle. I wassogonna verbally beat her ass. Not that she’d care. Or apologize. Judy was a law unto herself.
I advanced up the stone steps and rang the doorbell. I blanked my expression, hoping to hide my tension. But my damn fingers twitched as my nerves got all jumpy.
Soon enough, the front door swung open. Then Kaiser was standing before me, holding what appeared to be a smoothie. God, he looked good. Glaringly sinful, to be truthful. And it was still difficult to believe he’dactuallykissed me.
Shit, I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about that.
Ifhewas thinking about it, nothing in his expression gave it away. He looked as chronically put-out by life itself as usual.
He didn’t say a word. He just stared at me, taking an idle swig of his smoothie. I could almost think that he had no idea why I was there.
I cleared my throat. “If you could send my grandmother out here, that would be great.”
Instead, Kaiser opened the door wider and tipped his chin for me to follow him inside.
Allllll right.
He turned on his heel and walked into the house. No, stalked. All predatory-like.
I stepped into the entry, closed the door behind me, and trailed after him. I couldn’t quite stop myself from admiring his butt. Well, it was a positively terrific butt.
Passing various rooms, I noticed that the mansion had a somewhat Parisian style. Muted tones. Elegant furnishings. Shiny marble fireplaces. Gleaming herringbone parquet floors. Ceiling medallions. Crown moldings.
As we entered the kitchen, I couldn’t help but grind my teeth at the sight of Judy sitting at the island, sipping what looked to be freaking ice tea. Yep, diabolical for certain.
Goose and Chubs rushed to me, hinting for strokes. I glared at the woman even as I scratched their heads. She only smiled, seeming extremely pleased with herself.
I wasdefinitelygoing to throttle her.
“Hello, darlin’.” She glanced around. “Isn’t this kitchen a dream?”
It was, actually. It straddled a perfect line between rustic and contemporary, giving the room a casual elegance—particularly with the vintage floor tiles. But I wasn’t in the mood to admire it.
“I take it the dizzy spell passed,” I said, going along with her bullshit for now. There wasno wayI was going to let Kaiser sense that she’d come here to matchmake. I would dieof embarrassment for sure.
“I felt so much better once I got out of the heat.” She flashed him a sweet, grateful smile. “Thanks again, Mr. Wolfe.”
“Kaiser,” he corrected, leaning against the countertop.
I avoided looking directly at him, not trusting that I wouldn’t look at him in a way that alerted Judy to the fact that we weren’t as … barely acquainted as I’d led her to believe.
“I was telling him that you went to a few of his concerts when you were younger,” she said.
I felt the blood begin to drain from my face.Oh God.If she’d made me out to be some kind of crazed fan …
“You had a crush on one of his old band members, didn’t you?” She put her fingers to her chin, pensive. “I can’t remember which one. The drummer? The bassist?” She flicked her hand, as if to bat away her confusion.
What in the hell was she saying that crap for? She knew exactlywho I’d crushed hard on. And if she told him about it I was going tofreak.
Judy turned back to Kaiser. “Anyway, she’s always been a big fan of your music. Have you heard my Inaya sing?”
“I have,” he replied.
