Page 69 of Captivated By You

“All the ‘Js,’ huh?” She grinned.

“Yeah. My paternal grandparents are Julie and Jonathan, so I guess they carried on the family tradition with their sons.”

“Are they here this evening?”

I shook my head. “They live in Grand Cayman. My gran doesn’t like to travel much these days. She’s eighty-nine and suffers from arthritis, so getting on a plane for hours isn’t a good idea.”

“Ouch. Poor thing.”

I snorted. “You’ll take that back when you meet her. There’s nothing ‘poor’ about my grandmother, and I’m not talking greenback. She’s a wily old bird with a bright mind and a sharp tongue.”

Kiana chuckled. “Sass, huh?”

I caressed her waist. “She’ll like you.”

A weird expression crossed her face, then she murmured, “I’ll look forward to it.” Sipping her drink, she dipped her chin for me to continue.

“Like Dad, my uncle Jameson has three sons: Kadon, who I already mentioned; Nolen, who runs our casino business and is based in Las Vegas; and Blaize, who heads up the cruise ship business. Jameson oversees the three business strands that fall under Kingcaid Vacations. And then there’s Jacob, who oversees Kingcaid Entertainment. He has two sons and a daughter. Aspen, who you saw with Johannes earlier, runs our fledgling music label from New York, so she and Penn spend a lot of time together. London heads up the TV business out of LA, and Roman runs the film arm, also based in LA.”

I chuckled. “We tease Uncle Jacob’s kids mercilessly. They were named after the places they were conceived, and they fume it whenever we bring it up. So of course, we do. Frequently.”

“I think they’re lovely names, but I can see why they might be embarrassed. Who wants to acknowledge that their parents have sex?” She screwed up her nose, and I laughed again.

“Very true.”

“Are your uncles based in Seattle?”

I nodded. “They were born here, and they love it. Seattle is their home.”

She patted her hair as if checking to see if it was still in place, then smoothed a hand over her hip. “It’s such a massive organization. I mean, I knew that, but still. I-I’m a little out of my depth.”

I tugged her closer, sensing her need for reassurance. “I won’t let you drown.”

She gazed up at me, her pupils dilated, a ring of gold surrounding them. “I know you won’t.”

I bent to kiss her. As I straightened, I spied Johannes making a beeline in our direction, his expression resolute. I spun her away from him and sought out Mom, who fussed over Kiana. The way her shoulders un-hunched from around her ears under Mom’s attention and flattery warmed my heart. Mom was a master at putting people at ease, and while she’d never been outwardly rude to any of the women I’d dated, I could tell the difference between one she tolerated and one she adored on sight.

Kiana fell into the latter group, and if I thought about it, I couldn’t remember someone Mom had taken to as quickly as she had to Kiana.

An imminent food disaster dragged Mom away, and before I could hustle Kiana into a quiet corner and soothe my painful dick with a bit of dry humping, Dad came toward us—and blew my plan out of the water by whisking Kiana onto the dance floor. I made my own rounds, sharing a word or two with people who bored the shit out of me, but as Kingcaid did business with them in one capacity or another, it was a good idea to keep them sweet.

I lost sight of Kiana in the crowds, but as Mom tapped my arm and told me it was time for the speech I’d promised to make, I found her again, toward the middle of the ballroom.

With Johannes.

Fuck.

“Mom, two minutes. I need to rescue Kiana before Johannes says something to offend her.”

Mom sighed. “Asher, leave him. He’s almost smiling. He must like her.”

“No, Mom. He’s almost smiling because he’s going in for the kill. You know what he’s like.”

I pushed through the throngs of people, nudging them out of the way, ignoring calls to stop and chat. Johannes leaned in and said something in Kiana’s ear… and she laughed. Actually tossed back her head and laughed at whatever he’d said to her.

Relief coursed through me, the tension that had built up quickly ebbing just as fast. As I approached them, Johannes turned and met my eyes, a faint curve to his lips.

“Oh, look. Here’s your knight in tarnished armor come to rescue you from the big bad wolf.” He formed his hands into claws. “Grrr.”

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