Page 58 of Buying Time

“No?” His laugh called me a liar, but he didn’t press. Instead, he stroked my bottom lip once more, then turned around to pack up the canvas, paint supplies and easel.

The moment gave me the chance to calm and gather myself. Things had been so uneasy between Vance and myself, I’d somehow forgotten this side of him.

It made sense that women fell for him so easily, and I was ill-equipped if he really wanted to turn that charm on. If he wanted anything from me, I doubted I stood a chance against him.

And I don’t think I mind that one bit.

* * * *

Kenz

I wiped the coffee table in the living room while giving Vance a dirty look. No matter how many times I cleaned the table, I almost swore he dropped a piece of cereal on purpose just to annoy me.

The fact he snacked on dry cereal was weird enough, especially for a guy who’d grown up as rich and pampered as he had. I’d expected people like him to snack on caviar or something equally fancy.

Instead, he liked to buy cheap, sugar-filled cereal, put some in a cup—never a bowl—and eat it like chips.

“I’m not your housekeeper,” I muttered.

“I just like to see you bend over to pick the pieces up,” he said with his normal, far-too-charming smile.

Thankfully, things had gotten back to normal in the house—at least, as normal as they could be given our situation. Vance had stopped avoiding me and Hayden pretended our little moment together had never happened.

I might not love that, but at least it made things comfortable. I still spoke to Lorien in the evenings, our calls often short—he seemed exceedingly busy—but they always happened. The fact that he made time surprised me.

It helped prove the point that whatever misguided ideas were in his head, he thought he cared about me, that he was serious about making me fall for him.

I couldn’t imagine falling for someone who had done the things he had, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny a warmth had started to appear each time we spoke. His voice had turned more familiar, especially because I often spoke to him just before I fell asleep. Just hearing him relaxed me, as though my body thought that signaled time for bed.

After I cleaned the table, feeling more at ease after my morning routine, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. It wasn’t hard work, and the men were always clear that I didn’t need to do it, but it made me feel at ease. It felt like putting things right in my world again.

I tucked the roll of paper towels under my arm and headed into the kitchen to put it back. I had nothing planned for the day, and it seemed the men were the same. They were all here, milling around the house, doing their own things.

Vance read in the living room—probably just so he could harass me. Hayden and Char exercised outside, while Tor seemed to be doing research on his computer at the dining room table. For my part, I’d drawn some earlier, worked on the flowerbeds in the backyard with Hayden’s help, then decided to do a little cleaning before lunch.

When I stepped into the kitchen, my brain stuttered to a halt.

It felt like when, as a kid, I’d seen a teacher at a store once. My mind couldn’t make sense of seeing someone outside of the role I’d expected from them.

That was the reason I dropped the paper towels when I found Jarrod seated on the kitchen counter as though he lived there as well.

And just like that, everything went to hell.

Chapter Eleven

Kenz

Jarrod was a man who could cause problems for just about anyone, and never had he proven it more than by sitting on the kitchen counter, a pistol in his hand, and drawing the attention of Vance, Char, Hayden and Tor.

He might have been dead if any of them were armed, in fact.

I found myself yanked behind a large body, the action so fast that at first I had no idea who had done it. An inhalation where sandalwood filled my nostrils told me it was Hayden.

Then again, he was usually the quickest to save me, wasn’t he?

“Who are you?” Hayden asked, his voice with that chilling edge I rarely heard.

“I suggest you be very careful about yanking Kenz around,” Jarrod answered, his voice with the same darkness.

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