There were butterflies in Keera’s stomach as she walked through the crowded lounge, knowing people were watching the two of them. For those who didn’t know who Keera was, they were wondering. Not because she seemed intriguing, but because she was on the arm of Arden Forbes.
But the butterflies weren’t because of people watching them. No. The butterflies were because he’d looked at her in a way that made her feel like the only woman on the planet—he’d made her feel beautiful, confident, and worthy of being right where she was.
The look he’d given her when their eyes had connected had made her feel as if she were naked and he were stroking her. She’d been very wrong to think he didn’t still desire her. The heat inside her body was at inferno levels, because she had no doubt the two of them would make love tonight.
For a moment she’d been confused when he’d asked if she wanted to leave. Now, feeling his body next to hers, feeling the heat scorching between the two of them, she had no doubt why he’d been in such a hurry. If he asked her to leave again, she’d gladly tell him yes.
It had been fun to dress up once she’d gotten over the initial shock of it. And to be out with a group of people, especially as wonderful as they were, was something she was grateful to be doing. But now all her thoughts were on her and Arden getting naked, and that was going to make it very difficult to get through the evening without every single person in the room reading the desire in her eyes.
A shudder passed through her as they neared a large table where the girls were sitting, along with half a dozen other people. She didn’t realize it, but she scooted a little closer to Arden, who wrapped his hand behind her back and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked. She sighed before smiling.
“Yes. Thank you for including me,” she told him with sincerity.
“You might not be thanking me when the night is over,” he said with a chuckle.
She hoped she was thanking him when the night was over. If it ended the way she anticipated it would, they could thank each other over and over again. That thought made the heat practically scorch her, and she had to clench her thighs.
It was odd how turned on she was. It certainly wasn’t something she was used to. This man inspired new feelings inside her each time she was in his presence. Maybe the thing she liked most about him was how he made her feel about herself. Would she be a fool to let him go if he didn’t want to be released? Yes, she’d be a fool for herself, but she’d be doing him and his family a favor.
They stepped up to the table, and all eyes turned to them. Everyone wore friendly expressions, and Keera relaxed the tiniest bit as Arden began making introductions.
“Everyone, you know Keera Thompson, who’s the high school principal. You are also aware of what’s been happening at the school,” he said, a frown causing his brows to be drawn in.
“We’re so glad you were able to make it tonight,” Kian said.
“My brother Kian, and you know his wife, Roxie,” Arden said. She smiled at the man who was just as stunning as his brother. It was odd how the siblings were all equally attractive, but only one of them stirred red-hot desire within her. She wondered if any of them had ever had a crush on the same woman, or if a woman had had a crush on more than one of them at a time. Maybe someday she’d be brave enough to ask.
“You also know Angela and Eden. Over here is my bratty sister’s husband, Ace Armstrong,” Arden continued.
“Hey, I resemble that,” Dakota said with a wink.
“Not a chance, darling. You’re an angel,” Ace said with an even bigger wink. The entire table laughed at that, and Dakota shot them a warning look.
“Ace certainly has his work cut out for him,” Arden said before he turned to another guy who was sitting next to Owen. “This is Doc Evan. Call him Doc or Evan, or BT,” Arden continued with a laugh.
“BT?” she asked.
“I’m the local vet, and I don’t need to explain his lame joke, but let’s just say it has to do with fixing animals. Evan is fine,” he said with a smile as he rose and shook her hand, then leaned in and gave her a hug.
“Mm-hmm, you can back up,” Arden said with a scowl.
“Got any cats or dogs?” Evan asked after giving Arden a look she couldn’t quite read. It took a moment to realize Evan was purposely goading Arden. This made her want to play along as she smiled. A guy with a sense of humor was certainly one she could be friends with.
“No, but I want a cat,” she said.
“Well, I’m your guy. I’ll take good care of you,” he said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of her just fine,” Arden said. “Go and sit back down.”
Kian began laughing, making Arden scowl at him. “Jealousy looks good on you, brother,” he said. His wife smiled at Arden as well as she tried to hide her laugh behind her napkin.
“Ha, I have nothing to be jealous of. All day long, all Doc does is play in bull sem—”
“Alrighty, then, let’s stop that sentence,” Dakota said with a laugh. “Unless you’re trying to scare your date away.”
Evan laughed. “I love what I do. Bring the kids out to the ranch anytime for a field trip. I can always spot future vets,” he offered. Then he smacked Arden in the arm before resuming his seat.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Keera said. “I’ll put a sign-up sheet on the wall and get it arranged.” She loved to get the kids out of the classroom. It stimulated them and showed them what their future was going to be like. She hadn’t thought of taking them to a ranch before. She hoped she didn’t have to leave this school, because the longer she was in this community—being stalked aside—the more she liked this town.
“I’ll be on that field trip,” Arden said so low she almost missed it.
She stopped and looked at him, realizing he was a little jealous. It was so strange, she found her lips twitching. She couldn’t remember anyone ever being jealous over her. It was pretty amazing.
“You forgot me,” a man said from the end of the table. Keera noticed when he spoke that Eden looked down, her hand trembling the slightest bit. She really wanted to know what the story was there. This must be the brother Eden had been speaking of.
“My brother Owen is visiting again. Of course, he’s been home so much lately, we haven’t missed him at all,” Arden said.
“Hey, I’m a very missable guy,” Owen said with a crooked smile. “And I’m coming home permanently,” he announced, making all eyes turn on him.
“You better not be lying,” Dakota said as she stared her brother down.
“I went looking for something I thought I needed. What I realized is I didn’t have to leave home to know what that was,” he said as he looked at his sister. But then his gaze zeroed in on Eden, whose eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed and her shoulders firmed.
Keera knew that look well. And though Owen smiled her way, thinking it might be just that easy for him to have whatever it was he wanted, Keera could see it wasn’t going to be such a breeze for him. She wouldn’t mind sitting back and watching to see what happened next.
“Where’s Declan?” Arden asked, seeming to realize just then that their oldest brother wasn’t there. Keera had noticed right away.
“He’ll be here soon,” Kian said. “He was dealing with some top-secret thing or other.” Kian waved his hand like that was an everyday thing. She loved seeing the dynamic between the siblings, their friends, and their spouses. It was truly fascinating to see such a wealthy family who were so . . . well, normal.
Her family hadn’t been anything like the Forbes family.
“Do Mom and Dad know we’re all together?” Arden asked.
Kian winced. “I was trying not to scare Keera away, and you know Mom,” he said.
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for this,” Owen said with a laugh.
“Hey, you could have called them,” Kian pointed out.
“I didn’t arrange the get-together. I’m just an innocent bystander,” he said as he leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. The man was probably pretty lucky he was on the other side of the table from Eden, ’cause Keera had a feeling if she were near him, she’d be kicking those legs, sending Owen flying backward.
“Sit down. We have wine, and the waiter will be back soon,” Roxie said.
Arden pulled out her chair, leaving him on one side of her and Angela on the other.
“How are you liking our school?” Owen asked.
“I love it,” she answered honestly. “You have amazing programs already in place, a great group of kids, and I see so much potential in implementing new programs, such as visiting local professions,” she added as she smiled at Evan.
“Dang straight,” Evan said. “Can’t wait.”
“I bet,” Arden said, but he smiled as he rested his arm behind Keera’s chair. She was well aware it was a possessive gesture. What surprised her was how much she liked it. “She’s well liked by everyone,” he added.
“Wait!” Kian said, grinning even bigger.
“What?” Arden asked. His brother was practically bouncing with glee.
“I just realized Keera’s your boss,” he said with a chuckle. “Oh, Keera, we’re going to have to talk,” he added with a wink.
“She’s the hottest boss I’ve ever had,” Arden said, not in the least intimidated that she held a higher position than him. Of course, he chose to do what he did in spite of his money, and the title wouldn’t matter to him. But there were some men who might actually get offended by this fact, some who might be intimidated. Arden Forbes wasn’t one of those men.
Arden’s fingers shifted, and she was intensely aware when he began gently rubbing them along the bare skin exposed by her dress. A shiver ran through her, and his touch was making it difficult for her to concentrate on the conversation that continued to go on around her. But still, she didn’t want him to stop—not one little bit.
She held a glass of water with one hand and the other rested on her lap. Her own fingers twitched with the need to reach between them and rest them on his thigh, draw the same lazy circles on his leg as he was doing.
But they weren’t a couple. She didn’t feel like she could reach over and do that. She wished she were a little braver. She wasn’t sure what would happen if she did. She was trying to talk herself into doing just that, the privacy of the tablecloth making her a little bolder, when they were interrupted.
“Sorry I’m late.”
The deep baritone of Declan right behind her made Keera jump, which caused a couple of people at the table who’d noticed to chuckle.
“Don’t worry, he has a way of sneaking up on people,” Roxie said with a smile.
“Who does?” Declan asked.
“You, of course,” she told him.
“I don’t have to sneak,” he said with a confident look. “I’m welcome wherever I go.”
“Ha,” Dakota said. “About as welcome as a fly in a mousetrap.”
Ace laughed. “You almost got that one right,” he told his wife, confusing Keera.
“My little sister likes to make little idioms, and she constantly messes them up,” Arden explained.
“I do not,” Dakota defended. But she continued to smile. This seemed like a game they’d all been playing for a long time.
What was more interesting than anything else was Keera noticed instantly how Angela went from relaxed and active in the conversation, to tense and silent as she studied her glass as if it would disappear.
The pieces began to click, and Keera was almost relieved. Now it made sense.
“You didn’t save me a chair?” Declan asked as he looked around the group. He wasn’t at all offended by this, more amused—if the man could show amusement, that was.
“Take mine. I want to explore the balcony,” Keera said mischievously.
Angela turned to stare incredulously at her, and Keera smiled. Yes, she’d made a good call on that one. She rose, and Arden quickly joined her.
“I’d love to show you the balcony,” he told her, that fire back in his eyes.
“We’ll get another chair before you get back,” Evan said as he scooted a bit, as if he was going to have it put next to him.
“You’re amusing tonight, Doc,” Arden said as he wrapped his arm around Keera.
Keera was now relaxed, but Angela sure wasn’t as Declan sat down next to her, his frame much bigger than Keera’s, causing his leg to lightly brush up against Angela’s. The woman gave Keera one more stern look before she found utter fascination in her glass again.
Arden led her away, and Keera glanced back and smiled. She’d have to get Angela alone soon and ask her what that had been about.
“I like your family,” she told him as they made their way toward the patio doors.
“They can be a pain in the butt,” he said with a chuckle. “But I can’t imagine my life without them.”
“You’re incredibly lucky,” Keera told him.
“I know that. But just wait ’til you meet my mom and dad. You might have some sympathy for me then.”
“Are they not very nice?” she asked. She hadn’t heard anything negative about them.
“They’re amazing,” he said with a grin. “And they are snoopy, and protective, and think it’s high time their children settled down,” he added.
“Ah, you mean they love you,” she said, a little envious.
“Yeah, as much as we love them,” he admitted.
“My family wasn’t like that at all,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Keera. I know a lot more families are like yours than mine, but I don’t understand it. I can’t imagine what it’d be like without each of them in my life. We might kid with each other a lot, and we might have different personalities and different ambitions in life, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for one another,” he said.
“I think we’re all defined in a few different ways. We either are taught who we should be, or we change who we’re expected to be,” she told him. “I decided from a young age I wouldn’t be defined by who I was expected to be. You, on the other hand, were raised to be anything you wanted. Sometimes I think it’s easier to come from a family like mine because there’s no bar set. You can’t possibly do worse than those who gave you life,” she said, feeling an ache in her chest.
He walked her through the doors, and she was relieved to find no one else out there. It was a cool evening, but Keera didn’t mind. He walked her to a back corner and leaned against the rail, then pulled her into his arms.
“You chose right, Keera. You’re incredible.”
The light was dim, and even through his clothes, his body was hot. She snuggled a little closer to him, feeling safe and warm, feeling desired. This was where she’d wanted to be for the past couple of weeks, but especially on this night.
“Sometimes I feel I have, other times, I . . .” She trailed off. She really wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.
He lifted a hand, brushing her hair back from her face before cupping her cheek in his warm palm. She was lost in his gaze as he looked at her, emotions she didn’t understand flashing in his eyes.
Then he didn’t say anything else as he lowered his head and finally took her lips in a kiss that made her forget everything but him. That was the power Arden had over her. She could let go of it all when she was in his arms. And when his lips connected with hers, she felt as if she was home.
She tightened her hold around his solid waist and held on as his fingers tangled in her hair, and he kissed her more deeply, leaving their hearts racing, and making them both wish they were somewhere a hell of a lot more private than a lounge balcony with his entire family close by.
When he pulled back, she whimpered, her lips swollen from his kiss, her heart racing, her body on fire. His eyes were dark as they burned straight into her soul.
“Tonight,” he said, the word a promise.
Her lips trembled the slightest bit as she gazed back at him, then nodded.
Tonight.