Page 37 of Key Of Dreams

I’ve never known an elevator to be this slow. Or maybe it’s just me tired of listening to how he defended his last client based on some legal jargon and befuddled the jury. I sigh a breath of relief when the door opens, and I step out, but that feeling ends when he steps out with me.

“This isn’t your floor,” I say.

“You always accompany a lady to her door,” Ken replies with a grin.

“That’s really not necessary,” I tell him quickly. Nonetheless, he walks me to my door. I turn to say goodbye and find him in my space.

“Listen, Ken, I?—”

“Pretty. You’re very pretty,” he interrupts. He touches my curls. Ken just went from an okay guy to creepy.

I push his hand away. “Stop. I’m trying to tell you something and?—”

“You don’t have to say a thing,” Ken says. I brace my hands against his chest to push him away when a large shadow is cast over us. I look up and see a very angry Bull standing behind Ken. Ken looks over his shoulder and jumps off to the side. “What the fuck!” he curses. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” Ken is attempting to look calm and composed and failing miserably.

“You got my girl pinned up against her door. Back the fuck off!” he growls.

“Your girl?” Ken’s voice is filled with surprise and disgust. He whips his head toward me and sneers. “You tease!” he says accusingly. “You led me on.”

I gape in stunned silence. Is he kidding? I’ve haven’t been able to get a word in since he approached me downstairs. I turn my gaze up to Bull, but he’s not looking at me. I’m shaken to my senses when Bull stands between Ken and me.

“Shut up!” Bull says in a low, lethal tone. “She was shoving you away and you weren’t getting the message. So let me make this perfectly clear, Maya and I are together. You keep your hands to yourself and never, ever do you call Maya a tease.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Ken says. Bull takes a step forward, and Ken steps back. “You lay a hand on me, and I’ll have you brought up on charges,” he threatens.

“Bud, you want to hide behind your Ivy League law degree and threaten me, go right ahead. Just know this: for every connection you might have, I have three,” Bull says with a snicker. “Maya is off-limits, end of discussion.”

“I don’t like sloppy seconds,” Ken says snidely. Bull lunges, but I jump in front of him. Ken’s definitely showing his true colors, and I wouldn’t put it past him to cause trouble for Bull.

“Don’t,” I whisper. “He isn’t worth it.” I tug on his arm and grab my key to open the door. “Bull, please, let’s go inside.” I can see that Bull is fighting his desire to grab Ken by the scruff of the neck and throw him up against the wall. “Come on,” I urge. Finally, I feel his hand on my lower back, and he guides us inside, slamming the door behind us.

* * *

Bull

I’m livid. I know that Maya is beautiful, and I know that guys notice her, but I didn’t expect Ken to come sniffing around after I thought I made it clear when we left the party together that she belongs to me. It pisses me off even more that he tried to pass it off like Maya was the one instigating the confrontation. I was right behind Maya when she walked into the building and saw the whole scene unfold. I was going to jump in earlier, but I thought Maya would want to handle this on her own. Ken was full of shit. I saw Maya try to tell him about us, and Ken never gave her a chance.

I snapped when he reached out to touch her. Jealousy’s a bitch! I never thought of myself as a jealous man, until Maya.

“Bull.”

I look into her eyes.

“I’m not a tease,” she says, her voice wobbly. “I didn’t lead him on.”

I toss my jacket over the back of the couch and come to stand in front of her. I slip her bag from her shoulder and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. “Baby, I know who you are and what you are. Ken’s not a stupid man. He saw a beautiful woman with baby-blue eyes and golden hair with a heart of gold and wanted that for himself. I’ve never considered myself a jealous man, but with you, I can’t help myself. The second he touched you, I wanted to break his fingers and gouge his eyes out.”

She gasps. “I’m glad you didn’t,” she murmurs. “I think he’s not kidding when he said he would call the police.”

“He can try.” I cup her chin and make sure she’s looking directly at me. “I want you to tell me if he ever approaches you again. I don’t trust him.”

“I don’t think he’ll be bothering me again.”

“Probably not. But if he does, I wanna know.” Maya’s too innocent, and I have a feeling that Ken isn’t done yet. He’s a guy who expects women to flock to him. His fancy car and prestigious job would usually do the trick. Maya’s not about all that, and it’s not sitting well with him.

“I will.”

“Good, baby. Now kiss me,” I order. Her mood shifts quickly, and she lifts onto her toes, touching her lips to mine in a sweet, soft kiss.

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