Page 33 of Falling For The Enemy (The Gilbert Curse)

Coward.

But the truth was, Declan had been the only positive male influence that Kit had had. His father’s descent into alcoholism had soured the relationship between him and Kit. Something that Kit knew he’d never been able to forgive. His father should have stayed sober and helped Kit rebuild Orr Industries. Instead, at twenty-one, Kit felt like he had to start a new business, Palmer Industries, running a business in a field that had been dictated by ruthlessness and revenge. It had been what he’d believed was his dad’s severance pay and Aunt Mal’s savings that had given them the start they needed. And then...well, dumb luck. Aunt Mal said he had a head for business and maybe he did. They’d gone after smaller companies until they were established and then had targeted opportunities that Gilbert International showed interest in.

And slowly Kit had developed the skills and acumen needed to defeat Dash when it came to winning business deals and wooing clients. Not all the time, but often enough that he knew he could eventually bring the man down. But bringing him down was no longer the goal. Kit had come to realize that Dash wasn’t a villain who’d taken away his family’s opportunity. He was just a man. And he was Rory’s brother.

“I have to talk on camera,” Rory said, coming over to him. She had her long blond hair loose, hanging around her shoulders in a way that nicely framed her heart-shaped face. “What if I sound like an idiot?”

He took her hand in his and drew her away from the booth where Conrad’s assistants were setting up the cooking area for their team. “You won’t. You are too smart and you already rehearsed it for me this morning. You know what you’re doing.”

She chewed on her lower lip. “I know but it was easier talking to you.”

“Do you want me to go and stand behind the cameraman? You can look at me when you’re talking,” he suggested. The more time he spent with Rory the harder it was to have any sense of perspective on any of the past. He was falling for her and it would be silly to pretend he wasn’t. She’d also made him face the hard truth of his perceptions about the past with his father and brother.

Being around her made him feel alive for the first time since college. He wasn’t constantly thinking about what the Gilberts had taken from him but instead felt like he was enjoying an unexpected gift.

She tipped her head to the side and gave him a soft smile that went straight to his groin and made him want to carry her from the hall and make passionate love to her.

“We are more.” There was something flirty and sexy in the way she watched him.

Heknewthey were. And that made the secret he kept from her even worse. However, he didn’t want to hurt her anymore than she’d already been hurt by his brother and the past. But was he just making excuses for himself? His greatest fear was that the longer he kept the truth from her the more betrayed she’d feel.

“We are. So I think even your therapist would say it’s okay for me to be there for you when you speak on camera for the first time.”

She nodded. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged and looked around the hall. The interior was modern and sleek and the walls were adorned with artwork and frescoes created by local artists and students from the high school. The civic center, which had previously held a large portrait of all of the Gilberts who’d served on the town council was now more of a town-focused place.

“It’s just that until now most of my work has been quiet and small. I loved working on the interior of the building and doing the behind-the-scenes work. But this is me being in the spotlight.” She stopped and then shook her head. “It’s not like the people of Gilbert Corners haven’t always talked about me, but I’ve always pretended I didn’t know they were.”

“This time you’re controlling the narrative,” he pointed out. “You’re going to get up there and talk about the work you put into this space and how it’s really part of the town and the people who live in Gilbert Corners. I think that’s important and I also believe you’re the only one who can do it.”

“Oh, Kit, thank you,” she said, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her and held her close, shutting his eyes and breathing in the scent and feel of her.

He wanted her. Not just right this moment but forever. He’d never thought of forever before. It scared him. He’d always known once he’d come to Gilbert Corners things would change but he hadn’t realized how they would.

Rory was nervous and not just for the reasons she’d given Kit. This was her first project at the first paying job she’d had. She wanted the people of Gilbert Corners to like what she’d done to the civic center. Kit had asked her if she wanted to take her new renovating skills and apply them to the project.

She’d said yes as she had to everything new and risky since she’d moved out on her own. The work had been more fun than she’d realized. She could have done it for gratis but Kit had insisted. He’d have had to hire someone to oversee the project if she wasn’t doing it. Which had made her even more determined to make sure the building exceeded his expectations.

She’d leaned heavily on Indy and Lulu at first, asking them for pointers when she’d run into things she’d never dealt with before. But as she stood next to Kit in the hall, watching not only the TV crew get set up but locals as well who were seeing it for the first time, she felt a sense of pride as she overheard comments about how good the renovation looked.

For once, people were talking about her not because she was one of those cursed Gilberts but because of the work she’d done. She turned to Kit.

“Thank you for giving me this chance.”

“You’re welcome. I knew you could do it,” he said proudly.

But she hadn’t shared his confidence.

That wasn’t something she was sure she would ever say to anyone but her therapist. But the truth was she’d had a massive anxiety attack after she’d signed the contract with Palmer Industries. She’d sat on her couch and listed all the reasons why she was going to fail and had to do box breathing to just calm herself down long enough to see.

But then she’d looked around her house at all the projects she’d done there and that had helped. And as Kit had said earlier today, she hadn’t had to do it on her own.

Kit held her hand and stood next to her in his typical all black. Today he wore black jeans, a long-sleeved black button-down shirt and that thick leather belt that drew her eyes to his hips.

She felt a zing of sexual awareness go through her. Totally not what she should be thinking about at the moment. But when she was close to Kit it was hard not to.

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