Chapter 8

Keith was at his wit's end. Nelson rambled on about Emily being stubborn and how he wasn’t happy about her refusal to go to SummerBrook. Not that he could blame the woman because it seemed Nelson didn’t like the way Emily was running her life.

“I understand, Mr. Bradshaw, but you’ve got to trust me. She’ll be safe at my compound.” Keith said for the third time.

“She’s just so hard headed, and I know why she doesn't want to come home. She doesn’t want to hear the truth.” Nelson said. “She’s got to stop this little hobby of hers.”

“I don’t think your daughter considers her business a hobby, but that’s something you’ll have to discuss with her. I’m going to get her moved and settled.” Keith was ending the call before he really told the man what he thought. “I’ll keep you posted, Mr. Bradshaw.”

Keith found her in her room on her bed with her phone to her ear. When she turned to look at him, he didn’t have to ask who she was on the phone with. When she flopped back on her bed and slapped her hand against her face, it was all Keith could do to keep from roaring with laughter.

“Yes, Dad. I know you think I’m not taking this seriously, but for the record, I consider my life possibly being in danger very serious.” Emily sighed as she listened for another few seconds. “Dad, I’m not going to live in a bubble. We aren’t even one hundred percent sure that I’m in any danger and…” It seemed her father had cut that statement off, and Keith coughed to cover his laugh when she shook the phone above her.

“Dad, I think from now on, we need to agree to disagree. You think my business is beneath me, and I think hanging around with snobs is beneath me. Now, I have to go, but I love you.” She tapped the screen of her phone and groaned.

Keith studied her as she lay on her bed with her eyes closed. Her lips were moving as if she was silently praying, but with the tension written on her face, she was probably trying to calm herself.

“Is it wrong to want to shake the crap out of your father?” She turned to face him.

“Probably, but I’m sure every child has felt that way at some point,” Keith said. “Are you finished here for the day?”

“If it were up to my father I’d be finished here forever.” Her growing resentment was evident in her voice as she stood up and shoved her phone into her back pocket.

“If you just want to grab a couple of things for tonight, then tomorrow you can get enough to do you for a few days.” Keith had to switch gears because everything in his body wanted to wrap her up in his arms, and he had no idea why. She’d probably kick him in the balls if he even tried.

“About that, I think I’m just going to stay here.” Her voice was almost a whisper. She proceeded to smooth her hands over her bed as if she was straightening out wrinkles.

“Emily,” There was no way in hell she was staying in her apartment because he’d have to stay with her, and the damn place was entirely too small. It was dangerous to be in such close quarters with a woman who was setting his body on fire, and she had done nothing but glare at him.

“Keith,” She mocked him.

“This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to pack a bag and get whatever girl stuff you need. Then we’re going to lock up your shop and get you settled in a room at my house.” Keith clenched his fists at his sides.

“I don’t see that happening.” Emily stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. The motion not only gave her a defiant stance but it pushed her ample breasts up to swell over the top of her T-shirt. His cock twitched, and so did that nerve over his eye that felt like it was ready to pop.

“Either you pack a bag, or I do it for you. You really don’t want me going through your panty drawer, do you?” He wouldn’t mind because he’d like to see what she was hiding under the curve fitting clothes she wore.

Emily narrowed her eyes, and she bit her lip as if she was trying to keep from saying something sarcastic. With a huff, she pulled her phone from her pocket and proceeded to tap the screen. She put the phone up to her ear.

“Who are you calling, Princess?” Those blue-grey eyes of hers sparkled with defiance.

“Are you writing a book?” She snapped.

“Maybe I am.” Keith chuckled.

“Well, skip the chapter on you finding out who I’m calling.” She stomped towards him and pushed past him. “And stop calling me princess.” She turned in the doorway of her room to glare at him again.

“I call it as I see it, and right now it fits you like a glove.” Keith crossed his arms across his chest. He was quickly losing his patience.

“Have you been told today?” She shot at him.

“As a matter of fact, I tell myself every morning.”

“Fuck off.” She growled

“And now you’ve told me.” Keith stalked towards her and held his hand out for the phone.

“Dream on, Rusty.” She grinned at him. It seemed she thought using his nickname was going to annoy him.

Before she had a chance to move, he had her back pinned against him and the phone in his hand. He glanced at the screen. She’d been calling Kim.

“Let go of me you big ass.” She squirmed in his grasp rubbing her soft round ass against his growing erection.

“It’s okay, Kim. Emily will call you when she gets settled in the compound.” Keith said when Kim finally answered.

“Ooookkkkaaayyy?” Kim said drawing out the word.

Keith ended the call and shoved the phone in his coat pocket. She’d kicked him twice in the shin in the few minutes he’d held onto her.

“Will you calm the fuck down?” Keith grumbled when her heel made contact with his leg a third time.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist and tossed her on the bed. She landed with a grunt and scrambled to get over onto her back. Probably so she could say something rude or shoot daggers from her eyes. When she rolled over her eyes went straight to the growing bulge in his jeans. Fuck.

“Get a bag ready now, Emily. I’ll be back in ten minutes, and if you don’t have one packed, I’ll pack it.” He stomped out of the room and slammed her bedroom door behind him. He leaned against it and took several deep breaths. How is it with all the women he’d been with none of them had him ready to explode with just a look?

He had to get his fucking shit together. The last time he let his emotions get involved in someone, it ended with her getting killed. In his head, he knew Tessa’s death wasn’t his fault, but in his heart, he always felt like he let her down.

The bedroom door swung open, and he was barely able to catch himself before he fell into the room. Emily was pissed but held a black bag in her hand.

“Why were you blocking my door? Did you think I was going to make a run for it?” She snapped.

“Do you have everything?” He ignored her snarky questions.

“I’ve got what I need.” She stomped by him and snatched her bag back when he tried to take it for her.

“Just because you carry your own bag doesn’t mean you’re not a princess.” Keith teased.

“Remember what I told you earlier?” She didn’t turn around but kept walking towards the exit from her apartment.

“Yes.” Keith watched the sway of her hips.

“Consider yourself told again.” She headed down the stairs to her salon with him behind her shaking his head. This woman was going to be the death of him.

Emily never spoke to him the entire way to his compound. Not that it was far but ten minutes in his jeep with her seething in the passenger seat was slightly uncomfortable. Not to mention the sweet flowery scent coming from her was making him uncomfortable for a whole other reason.

Smash and Crash were still at her salon securing the building, so he didn’t even have them to get his mind off the sexy princess next to him. Keith wasn’t taking any chances with her safety which is why they were doing it. There was no way she was going to stay away from the place, and with her possibly in danger, it was safer for the other women working there to have updated security.

Keith pulled up to the front gate and punched in the code to open it. The clang of the metal echoed, and the two iron gates slowly opened. He drove through and waited until both gates closed before proceeding to his house.

Keith loved his property and had tried hard to make sure he left as much of the natural surroundings as possible. It’s why he didn’t pave his driveway and kept as many of the huge pine trees as he could.

As he drove by the building that housed the gym and offices, he eyed a couple of the guys running on the track circling the two structures.

“That’s the offices and the gym.” Keith pointed to the area. Emily nodded but still didn’t speak.

He pulled into his garage after punching in a code on the remote. Once he was inside, he hopped out and circled around the vehicle to open Emily’s door. She sat rigid in the seat as she turned slowly to glare at him.

“If you want to sleep in the jeep that’s up to you. It’s secure, but it can get a little chilly. It’s not real comfortable to sleep in either. At least not like the room I’ve got ready for you. Would you believe it has a bed?” There was no way she was going to miss out on making a snide comment. He’d figured that out about her.

“You’re an ass.” She hissed as she jumped down from her seat and stomped around him.

“You’re not the first to tell me that, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” Keith closed the door once she yanked her bag from the floor of the jeep.

He stepped up to the door leading into his kitchen from the garage and punched in the code. It made a small beep, and the door clicked. He pushed it open and motioned for her to go ahead of him.

“What is this place, Fort Knox?” She walked into the kitchen, but he didn’t miss the small gasp that escaped her when she entered the kitchen.

“Not what you expected, Princess?” Keith leaned down and spoke close to her ear. She squeaked and moved to the side.

“Well, no… I mean… this is…” She sighed and turned to face him. “Stop calling me princess.”

“I’ll see what I can do about that. So you approve of the kitchen?” Keith shuffled through the mail that was sitting on his counter. His cousin Jess always picked it up for him and would drop it off when she’d come for her workout.

“It’s impressive.” She finally moved further into the room.

“Thanks. I like to have a lot of room to move around when I cook.” He didn’t look up from the letter he’d opened to gage her reaction.

“Hmmm…. Huge property, big jeep, big house, and big kitchen. Seems like you might be overcompensating for something.” Emily deadpanned.

Keith slowly lifted his head, and his gaze met hers. She’d propped herself against the counter and had the sexiest grin on her face.

“Oh Princess, I don’t need to overcompensate for anything, but you’re more than welcome to investigate if you’d like.” Keith turned to face her. He was walking a thin line with her, and it was dangerous, but the panicked look on her face was worth it.

“No thanks.” She grumbled and quickly turned to adjust the bag on her shoulder. “I’d like to go to my room.”

Once he’d showed her to the room where she’d be staying, Emily thanked him and slammed the door leaving him in the hallway wanting to kick his own ass.

He was a masochist. That was the only conclusion. Every time she insulted or attempted to do so, it made him want her more. The sexual attraction to her was unsettling because he’d never felt it so strong before. It terrified him.

Keith sat on the front deck of his house in the oversized captain’s chair. It once belonged to his grandfather, and when Jack O’Connor passed away, his grandmother made sure each of them got something that was personal to his grandfather.

It was coming on suppertime, and he was waiting for his cousin Isabelle to drop by with something from her restaurant. He didn’t know what Emily liked to eat, but figured he couldn’t go wrong with his cousin. Kim had told Keith that Emily frequently ordered from Isabelle’s place.

A sound drew his attention to the tree line on the north side of the house. It was where the thickest part of the trees was around his property. He slowly rose to his feet and moved silently towards the side of the deck. As he scanned the trees, he kept listening for the noise. It had been so faint he was beginning to think he imagined it. With his hand pressed against his weapon in his shoulder holster, he leaned around the corner to look. Nothing.

As he turned to make his way back to his chair, he heard it again. He rested his hands on the rail and leaned over to check the side of his deck. Something small and orange was pressed against the lattice. Keith hurried off the deck and moved to the side.

Keith crouched to see a very tiny kitten tangled in the burlap that surrounded the hedge. It looked up at him with frightened eyes and started to hiss as it squirmed to free itself. All it did was tangle itself more.

“Hey, little one. Calm down and let me get you out of that.” Keith cooed hoping it would help the kitten calm. It didn’t.

“I’m trying to help you here.” Keith sighed as the kitten batted at him a third time. “Can you trust me?” The kitten stopped for a moment and then mewled a couple of times. When he reached for it again, the furball crouched down as if it was ready to attack.

“How the fuck did you get so tangled?” Keith held the body of the kitten in one hand and carefully unhooked it’s nails from the burlap. It squeaked as Keith finally freed it. He turned it over to see if he was dealing with a male or a female.

“Figures you’d be a female. You’re not the first one to hiss at me today.” The kitten fit in his hand, and not that he knew much about it, but it didn’t seem like it would be old enough to be separated from its mother. It was shivering and wet.

“Don’t think you’re staying here, but I can’t leave you out here to freeze to death.” Keith brought the kitten into the garage and grabbed an empty storage container. “This will be your house until I can figure out what to do with you.”

He liked animals but considering he was hardly ever home, it would be cruel to have a pet. As he struggled to open the door into his house, the kitten seemed to want to make sure it wasn’t going to fall and dug its sharp nails into his chest.

“Ouch, Fuck.” Keith flinched.

He dropped the container to the floor and struggled to remove the kitten’s needle-like claws from the front of his shirt. He also didn’t want the claws to make their way into his skin and draw blood. Although, the thing seemed to be set on doing just that.

He cupped one hand under its bottom and held it up to get a good look. It seemed terrified, and it was shivering badly. The only thing he could think to do was wrap it in a towel until he could get it dry. As he entered his bathroom, he saw the hair dryer. He sat the kitten on the counter as he turned on the loud dryer. The kitten didn’t like it and dug its nails deep into his arm.

“You’re a little savage,” Keith growled as he dropped the dryer and yanked the towel off the shelf. “Fine, I’ll wrap you up in the towel.”

He headed back to the kitchen with a couple of other towels to put in the bottom of the container. He remembered something about having a hot water bottle for baby animals on a television show he had watched. He didn’t have one, but his heating pad should do the same job.

“I hope you’re happy. I don’t do this for just anyone.” Keith crouched on the floor and did his best to make a comfortable, warm place for his guest.

The storage container was big enough that he could put in a couple of small bowls. He didn’t really care about the cat doing it’s business because it wasn’t staying that long.

With the kitten settled in the box, and his sexy guest upstairs hiding in her room, he poured himself a cup of coffee. He was about to put it up to his lips when he heard the scuffle of his cousin coming through the door.

“No, really, I don’t need any help.” Isabelle dropped the box filled with steaming bags on the counter. He chuckled at her sarcasm because chances were if he’d offered to help she’d have shooed him away.

“That’s why I didn’t help.” Keith winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

It didn’t take more than thirty seconds before Isabelle noticed the out of place storage container in the middle of the kitchen.

“When did you get a cat?” She reached into the box and picked up the kitten.

“I didn’t. I found it snagged in the burlap on the side of the house. Be careful that thing’s a savage.” Keith eyed the kitten as it began to purr at Isabelle.

“Yeah, it’s a killer.” She chuckled.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The fucking thing left holes in my arm.” Keith started to rummage through the bags.

“Poor Keith.” Isabelle teased. “Why bring her in the house then?” She put the cat back in the box.

“It’s supposed to get cold tonight, and I’m not a complete ass,” Keith said.

“That’s a matter of opinion.” Keith’s jaw clenched when he heard her voice. “Hi, Isabelle.”

“Hey, Emily. From that statement, I’m assuming Keith’s being his usual charming self.” His cousin made herself comfortable as she hopped up on one of the counter stools.

Emily walked around Isabelle and glanced down into the box. It didn’t take long for her to coo over the furball, as she and Isabelle talked about changing the style of his cousin’s hair. He grabbed three plates from the cupboard and filled them with food.

“What’s her name?” Emily asked as she sat next to his cousin.

“Isabelle.” Keith chuckled and quickly ducked as Isabelle tossed a bread roll at him.

“I meant the cat, dumbass.” Emily shook her head.

“I’m not naming that thing. I’m gonna put a message on social media to see if anyone lost it.” Keith shoved another forkful of potatoes into his mouth.

“That could take a while. What are you going to call the little thing until then? Cat?” Isabelle laughed.

“I don’t remember asking you to stay for supper.” Keith glared at her.

“They say at your age the first thing to go is the mind.” Isabelle grinned, and Keith didn’t miss the giggle from Emily either.

“One of my customers is a vet. I can give her a call and see if she can drop by. She’s not far from here.” Isabelle offered.

“A vet that does house calls. No, that won’t cost an arm and a leg.” Keith said sarcastically as he refilled his plate.

“She owes me a favor. Seriously, that kitten looks really young.” Keith stared at his cousin. She was right, and he wouldn’t want anything to happen to the tiny thing. He wasn’t heartless.

“Fine, but you’ll have to meet her at the gate.” Keith glanced down into the box. At least the thing was drinking the water.

“She still needs a name.” Emily picked up the kitten and cuddled it into her chest, and the first thought that came to his mind was lucky little bastard.

“Cat sounds good to me.” Keith cleaned his plate and placed it in the dishwasher.

“You’re hopeless,” Isabelle sighed as she finished her phone call. “You could call her Ginger since her fur is almost the same color as your hair.”

“I think next time I order food it’ll be from somewhere besides your place.” Keith narrowed his eyes and glared at her. Isabelle elegantly lifted her hand as her middle finger slowly raised.

“Did I hear you say you found her tangled in the burlap outside?” Emily asked.

“Yeah, she had her claws hooked in there pretty good.” Keith noticed that Emily hadn’t touched the food in front of her.

“Call her Burlap.” Emily smiled and her nose wrinkled as if waiting for someone to laugh. Her gaze moved back and forth between him and Isabelle.

“That is so cute.” Isabelle cooed.

“It doesn’t matter I’m not keeping it, but if it makes you feel better, call the thing what you want.” Keith rested his elbows on the counter and tapped the edge of her plate.

“So it’s settled. Burlap’s your name.” Emily held the kitten up to her lips and kissed the top of its head. He never thought he’d ever want to be a cat, but it didn’t seem all that bad with the attention Emily was giving the fucking thing.

“So now that’s settled. I believe you need to eat.” Keith tapped the plate again, and she rolled her eyes as she gently put the kitten on the floor.

“Bea should be here in about five minutes. I’m going to meet her at the gate.” Isabelle glanced at her phone.

Keith kept his gaze on Emily as she picked at the food. She had to be hungry because she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and she didn’t eat much then.

“If you don’t eat you’re going to get sick.” He never thought he’d utter the line his mother used when they were kids.

“I think I can afford to miss a few meals.” Emily picked up a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth.

“Don’t say things like that.” Keith leaned closer to her. “There’s nothing wrong with how you look.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his, and he was sure she could hear the thudding of his heart because it was pounding in his ears. When she met his eyes, it was as if she could see right into the depths of his soul, and that probably wasn’t a good thing. Her lips curled up into a sweet smile and then into a soft giggle, but it wasn’t until he felt the tiny needles in his thigh that he realized what was happening.

“She thinks you’re a tree.” Emily covered her mouth with her hand.

“You’re really pushing it, cat,” Keith grumbled while he tried to unhook the kitten’s claws from his jeans. It wasn’t going well.

“Her name is Burlap. Let me help.” Emily crouched and proceeded to detach the cat from his leg carefully.

Having Emily touch his thigh and kneeling in front of him was putting all kinds of wrong thoughts in his head. He gripped onto the edge of the counter and clamped his teeth together, but he couldn’t stop watching how gently she removed Burlap. What was worse, she stayed on her knees on the floor to calm the kitten. How she didn’t see the outline of his cock was a miracle because all she had to do was lift her head. He quickly moved behind the island.

“Fuck.” He hissed between his teeth as he braced his fists against the counter.

“Oh don’t be such a baby. I’m sure the needles they used for those tattoos hurt more than Burlap’s claws.” Emily teased when she got back to her feet, and he thanked God she was finally off of her knees.

“Just put that thing in the box. I’m not being its pin cushion again.”

Before Emily had a chance to put Burlap down, Isabelle and the vet walked into the kitchen. Isabelle introduced Beatrice as Dr. Warren. Apparently, she didn’t seem to mind what they called her. The vet proceeded to examine the kitten, and Burlap didn’t seem too happy about the whole situation. She mewled the whole time and even managed to let out a little hiss or two.

Emily and Isabelle continued to talk to the cat as if it were a child while the vet finished her examination. Keith couldn’t believe that there was so much fuss over a kitten, but before he knew it, he was trying to calm the thing as well.

“From what I can see, she’s small, but I’d say about eight weeks maybe seven. Other than her size she’s healthy. I’ve brought some food we use for underweight kittens and deworming medication. Chances are it wasn’t done, and I can feel a few small ones in her belly.” Beatrice explained as she worked to keep Burlap from jumping off the counter.

“So she’s okay?” Emily seemed to be itching to take the kitten into her arms again.

“Yes, and I can see she doesn’t have a litter box. I have a disposable one in my car that will do until you can get a permanent one.”

Burlap had calmed some since Beatrice had let her wander around the counter. The stupid cat bounded towards him and pressed its head against the hand he had rested on the marble. He knew what was going to happen but damn if he didn’t want to admit it.

“Looks like you have a healthy kitten, Keith.” Isabelle smiled.

“So I hear.” Keith stared down at the copper-colored furball and knew at that moment, Burlap was home.

“You’re keeping her?” Emily sounded both hopeful and surprised.

“Unless someone gets back to me on social media, I might as well.” Nothing could prepare him for what happened next. Emily ran around the counter and wrapped her arms around his waist. He stiffened as she hugged him tightly.

“I knew you had a heart in there somewhere.” She squeezed once more before she let go. It was as if she’d taken all the heat from his body when she stepped away. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

Fuck!

A week later Keith stood in his kitchen listening to Emily argue with her father. Nelson had come to see her, but it wasn’t turning out to be a civil visit. Probably because five minutes after he arrived he growled about her working on a Sunday. Emily had turned down his invitation to spend the evening with him in SummerBrook, which had provoked his visit.

“Dad, I don’t have time to fight about this. I’ve got to get to the salon.” Emily took a deep breath when Nelson slapped his hand down on the counter.

“Emily, when are you going to at least acknowledge that this isn’t the life for you.”

Emily opened her mouth and then snapped it shut again. She walked around her father, and before Keith knew what had happened, she was gone.

“Emily, come back here,” Nelson yelled after her.

“I’m sorry Mr. Bradshaw, but I need to go after her.” Keith ran out through the garage in time to see her pull out in his jeep.

“How the fuck…” Keith didn’t even see her grab the keys and he’d made the mistake of letting her know all the codes.

“You’re losing your touch, Rusty.” Keith turned. Rex had his back braced against the garage door. He was a guy Keith hired from the Atlanta, Georgia. Caden Dixon was former military. Keith didn’t know where the nickname came from, but that’s what everyone called him.

“I’m losing it all right.” Keith grabbed the keys for the car in the garage that he hardly used. “Tell Bradshaw I’ll call him later and take him home.”

He drove to the salon, sure there was probably steam coming from his ears. Not only did Emily take off with no security, but she took his jeep. He never let anyone drive his baby.

“Grandda, give me the patience to deal with this because I’m pretty sure I’ve met a younger version of Nan.” Keith always found himself talking to his grandfather when he was overly stressed. Probably because before Jack O’Connor passed away, he was always the one Keith would talk to about his problems. The man gave great advice.

By the time Keith pulled up in front of the salon, Emily was already inside with her client. Kristy. His cousin waved at him as he walked into the building.

“Hey, How’s it goin?” Kristy smiled, but Keith didn’t feel very cordial at the moment.

“It was goin great until someone stole my jeep.” Keith glanced at Emily. She didn’t seem to be the least bit worried.

“How the hell did someone get into your compound to steal your jeep?” Kristy didn’t realize he was talking about Emily.

“I took it to get here.” Emily groaned. “I borrowed it. I didn’t steal it. Don’t be so dramatic, Keith.”

“Oh, oh, pot meet kettle.” Keith threw his hands up in the air. “You took off because you didn’t want to deal with your father. Not to mention that you took off without taking your safety into consideration.”

“I had an appointment as you can see,” Emily shouted.

“I’m sure Kristy would have been fine with you being late.” Keith raised his voice.

“Jesus, you two sound like a married couple.” Kristy laughed but stopped when both Emily and he glared at her.

Keith was about to speak, but Emily ended the conversation by holding her hand up. He didn’t want to fight with her, so he stepped outside the salon and let the smell of the ocean help calm him.

Exactly forty-three minutes later Kristy was gone, and Emily had disappeared into her office. If she thought their conversation was over, she was sadly mistaken.

“Emily, you’ve got to come back to the compound.” Keith blocked the exit of her office. He’d calmed himself and figured he was better able to handle her mood.

“Look, Mr. O’Connor..” Emily snapped

“Keith.”

“Mr. O’Connor,” Emily glared at him. “I’ve got a business to run, and I need to be here.” She picked up some papers on her desk and glanced through them. He knew it was the same ones she had put in the basket to file the day before.

“Your father….” Keith began but Emily’s eyes snapped up, and they were beautifully dark with anger.

“I really don’t give a flying fig what my father says.” She plopped down in the chair behind her desk. “He thinks my business is beneath me. I should be striving to be something important.” She mocked as she turned on her computer. “So standing here telling me what my father thinks, is not helping your case any.”

“Your father loves you, and he’s hurting.” Keith tried to play on her sympathies. Although, hell if her attitude did not make him want to clap his hands. Emily didn’t bow down to what was expected. It was good to know that not all the women from SummerBrook were spoiled brats.

“I know he misses mom. We all do, and I know he loves me. Really. I love him too, but you don’t know what it’s like to love something so much and to constantly be told it’s not a good enough career for a fucking Bradshaw. Like we’re above the typical blue collar jobs. It’s been worse since mom vanished. I love my business and what I do. There’s nothing more fulfilling than when a client thanks you because they feel beautiful after a haircut or having their makeup done.” Emily sat back in the chair and blew out a breath. Damn, she was so passionate and beautiful. Especially when she was pissed.

“Mom understood how I felt about this place, but I can’t get dad to understand, and when he does this, I just walk away before I say something I’ll regret.”

“I see your point.” Keith leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well, hall-a-fucking-luia. Someone outside of my employees and clients sees my point. I’m so fucking overjoyed.” Keith tried very hard not to laugh. The girl had a mouth on her.

“I’m glad you’re overjoyed, but we still have a problem.” Keith raised an eyebrow when she slammed her hands down on her desk.

“We don’t have any problems. I’m perfectly happy. You may have a problem, but you know what? I don’t give two fucks about your problems, Mr. O’Connor.” Emily stood up and narrowed her eyes. She was baiting him. She only called him Mr. O’Connor when she was pissed.

“You know I could easily take you over my shoulder, carry you out to the jeep and bring you back to the compound.” Keith almost lost it when her face turned purple with fury.

“You put one of your big meat hooks on me, and I’ll kick your balls so hard, your father will feel it,” Emily growled through gritted teeth.

“That sounds really painful, and I don’t think Dad would appreciate it either. Plus, I said I could. I never said I would. Besides, if I was going to throw you over my shoulder, it sure as hell would be for something a hell of a lot more fun.” For the first time since he met her, she was dumbstruck. “Wondering what would be more fun, Ms. Bradshaw?” He smirked.

“Fuck off.” Was all she could say.

“Great come back, Emily.” Keith chuckled.

“You know, I’ve done more cursing since I met you than I have my entire life.” She flopped back in her chair.

“I’m glad I’m helping increase your vocabulary,” Keith said.

When she stood up, again he fully expected her to continue their banter, but she walked around him and flicked off the lights in the office.

“I’m done if you’re ready,” Emily called from the front of the salon. “I can drive back.”

“Let’s get something straight,” Keith informed her once they were outside. “That was the first and only time you drive that.”

“What is it with men and their trucks?” She rolled her eyes and tossed the keys at him.

“It’s not a truck. It's a 1974, FJ40 Land Cruiser. It’s in mint condition because nobody drives it but me.” He probably sounded like a complete idiot, but the jeep was one of his most prized possessions.

“Wow. I’m so impressed.” Emily faked a yawn as she shuffled to the jeep. He was convinced she was swaying her hips more just to get to him as she walked away. It was working because his cock was twitching and his balls ached.

“God, help me,” Keith whispered as he walked behind her.