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TEN
KAIA
He held out his hand, and Kaia couldn’t stop herself. Not that she even wanted to stop herself. She wanted to walk along the water with Grey and chat with him. There was still that whole fight thing she wanted to talk to him about.
Protective was one thing, but she didn’t really abide by violence.
Nor did she appreciate being ushered away by an imp before the night was over. It wasn’t Greyson’s fault. He was here to bond with his company. It was silly that she got angry when they couldn’t hang out for more than two seconds before Richard or Jorge threw hissy fits.
“Let’s go this way,” she suggested. “I haven’t seen this beach yet.” Kaia led them down one of the many paths. Some went to beaches, and some led to cabanas or other exterior buildings. Off in the distance, small islands could be seen. “I heard a rumor that those islands can be rented.”
“Really?” He didn’t look shocked.
She nodded. “Do you think it’s true?”
“It has to be. Why else would there be a whole bunch of them out there like that? Would you like that? Renting your own island?”
“Depends who I’m with …” She smiled. “If it was just Rachel and me, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions after twenty-four hours.”
He laughed. “I think that’s fair. Maybe not with a sibling, then.”
“No, not a sibling.”But a special friend? Totally.“I already know that you would absolutely hate being on an island all by yourself. Stuck with only one person? How would you work?”
“I can think of a few things that would occupy me if I were on an island with the right person.” He squeezed her fingers, and Kaia squeezed her core. He had to be talking about her. Or, at the very least, he was talking about the things he would like to do to her.
Rachel’s warning played back through her mind, but she tried to ignore it. Did it matter if this was nothing but a holiday fling? There was nothing slimy about Grey, and Kaia thought he wouldn’t be that bad of a one-night stand. She wouldn’t mind remembering Greyson Verlice when she was on her deathbed.
Grey wasn’t just hot. He was sweet too. Maybe he was a bit cocky, but there were things he wasn’t too sure about, and that was endearing. The big strong man couldn’t always be big and strong, and that was okay. He’d learn that with the right woman one day. She wouldn’t expect to be that woman, but she could be a fun time on the way.
Kaia kicked off her sandals and walked close enough to the water that the water touched her toes every now and then. It was cool and kept her fresh and alert. She was still holding Grey’s hand, and though she didn’t want to let go, she was starting to feel a little bit lightheaded from the contact. She would need something more ... andsoon.
It definitely didn’t help that she knew just what a good kisser he was.
“Just so you know, at the end of this beach walk, I’m going to ask you out again. I don’t know what the hell my dad is cooking up for the rest of our schedule. That’s why I’m meeting him tonight.” He rolled his eyes.
“Has he made a last-minute addition to the retreat games?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’ll probably be actual torture now.”
She giggled. “I don’t see your dad resorting to that. He could just fire them.”
“They’re thunder members, so it makes getting rid of them a bit harder.” He shook his head. “Getting rid of them sounds so bad. They would have a severance package if they were fired. Their 401Ks would be secured. I’m not a monster. I would just explain that I expect more from my employees.”
Did he know it sounded like he had already made up his mind? It sure sounded like Grey wanted to be the CEO. “Have thunder members ever been fired before?”
He winced. “No. Never. No precedent.”
Ha. So he had checked the company archives already. “But it’s what you would do? Fire them?”
He thought about this for a little while. “I don’t know. It would depend if I’m alphaandCEO.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“None of us know if the CEO will also be the alpha. My dad holds both titles, but no one knows what he intends to do with either of them. My mother is just going out of her mind. She wants him to retire from everything so they can travel together. I don’t know what Dad is doing.”
“That’s going from two full-time jobs to retirement. Your poor dad.”
“I have no sympathy for him right now. He shouldn’t be keeping us in the dark. If he was more upfront about his plans, maybe Richard and Jorge wouldn’t be fighting so much. No, they still would be because those two cannot stand each other, but it might not be as bad. Everyone is exhausted at work, and I get it. We have to deal with all this negativity.”
