A Kick in the Pants (a Riley O'Brien & Co. novella) Read online

  “My dad loved anything and everything peppermint,” she said. “He was a smoker for a long time, and peppermint candy helped him kick the habit.”

  Jake knew Kyla’s dad was no longer living, but he didn’t know any details. Maybe her dad had died of lung cancer.

  She had never alluded to what had happened to him. Jake was curious, but he was hesitant to pursue the subject because he didn’t know if she still grieved over her father.

  Some people never stopped grieving, and if Kyla started to cry, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from holding her. And once he had her in his arms, he was afraid he’d violate every professional and personal boundary that existed.

  “Were you close to your dad?” he asked.

  “If you had known Russell Andrews, you wouldn’t have asked that question. I’m sure he loved us, but he didn’t love us enough.”

  Jake wondered what she meant by that statement. He wanted to know what she considered enough.

  “I think that’s why his death hurt so much,” she continued. “We grieved the loss of possibility—the possibility of being close to him—more than we grieved him.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “You know what’s interesting? Even though none of us was close to my dad, we all fell apart after he died. My mom stopped cooking. I dropped out of college and moved home. Vanessa missed so many deadlines at work that she was fired from a job she loved. And Ben’s grades slipped so much he lost his scholarship.”

  Kyla tossed the peppermint into a clump of bright red geraniums. “We were really struggling, emotionally and financially. When my dad died, my mom was clueless about their finances. She didn’t know how much money he made or how much they had. She didn’t know what their monthly expenses were or how to create a budget and stick to it.”

  “Is that why you majored in finance?”

  She tilted her head, obviously considering his question. “Before I dropped out of college, I was majoring in psychology. I wanted to specialize in adolescent counseling. I changed my major to finance when I went back. I’ve always loved math, but yeah, maybe what happened after my dad died is the reason I chose finance.” A pleased smile lifted her lips. “And speaking of finance … I’ve decided to take the position that reports to Sam.”

  “That’s great!”

  In his enthusiasm, he opened his arms to hug her, and she stepped into them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tucked her head under his chin. He squeezed her tightly, loving the way she felt against him.

  “I’m so glad you’re staying in the finance department.” Her hair muffled his words. “You are a huge, huge asset to our group.”

  He wasn’t blowing smoke up her skirt just because he wanted to get under her skirt. She honestly was a rock star with numbers.

  He reluctantly loosened his arms, letting them fall to his sides. She stayed where she was, but tilted her head back to look at him. The lights from nearby skyscrapers turned her silvery gaze to molten gray.

  “We can celebrate your new job tomorrow night at your graduation party,” he said. “The whole department will be there.”

  She clapped her hands. “I’m so excited.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. There was no way Kyla was as excited as he was. In less than twenty hours, he would no longer be her boss.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Yellow sugar sprinkles shimmered along the rim of the cocktail glass, and bright red cherries floated in the chilled liquid. The pineapple martini was almost too pretty to drink, but Kyla took a sip anyway.

  As she enjoyed the tasty mix of vodka, rum, and fruit juice, she glanced around the private dining area at The Deep End. Located on the second floor of the restaurant, the space was large enough to accommodate at least eighty people. With its moveable frosted glass panels, the area could be used as one big space or divided into several smaller spaces.

  The Deep End was Andre Shiroc’s newest restaurant. Kyla had heard her mom talk about the celebrity chef in reverent tones. That was how she knew it was impossible to get a table at The Deep End. But nothing was impossible for Cal O’Brien, it seemed. Jake had told her that Cal and Andre Shiroc were good friends, and Cal had pulled some strings to secure a private room for her party.

  Tonight, Kyla and her fellow Riley O’Brien & Co. employees were the only ones in the private dining area. Most of the finance department was here, about fifty people, and everyone was mingling and enjoying cocktails before dinner.

  Kyla took another sip of her martini, swiping her tongue along the rim to gather some sugar. Like the drink, the granules tasted like pineapple.

  “Kyla, you’re my favorite trainee,” Sam Ferron said, throwing his arm around her shoulder and squeezing her close to his side.

  “Thanks, Sam. You’re my favorite accounting director.”

  Over the past several months, she and Sam had formed a close friendship. Although he was only a few years older than she was, he had five daughters.

  Sam had married his high school sweetheart, Tracie, the day after they had graduated. He’d told Kyla that both of their families had been opposed to the marriage. Nonetheless, he claimed it was the best decision he’d ever made.

  “I prayed every night that you would take the open position that reported to me,” Sam added.

  She eyed him skeptically. “You prayed every night?”

  Placing his palm on his chest, Sam said, “I swear. Ask Tracie if you don’t believe me.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy, Sam, because I can’t imagine a better job or a better boss for me.”

  Tonight kicked off the long Memorial Day weekend, and all recent management trainee graduates had the rest of the week off. Kyla would start her new job the following Monday.

  One of the servers returned with another tray of drinks and announced that dinner was on its way. Deciding that now was the perfect time to make a trip to the ladies’ room, Kyla drained her martini and excused herself.

  Following the signs, she headed toward the other side of the warehouse. After passing a wood-and-steel staircase that separated the dining area from the restrooms, she spotted a single elevator tucked into the corner. Next to it was a frosted glass door etched with the word “Relief.”

  Someone had a quirky sense of humor. Kyla laughed to herself as she pulled open the door.

  Metal wall sconces illuminated the corridor, throwing pools of golden light on the dark wood plank floors. A door opened a few feet ahead of her, and Jake emerged from it. He froze when he saw her, his eyes widening before he ambled toward her.

  The narrow corridor made her even more aware of his height and muscular physique, and her body reacted the way it always did when got close. Her heart began to pound, and her breathing grew shallow. Suddenly, her throat was dry, and she swallowed thickly.

  Stopping right in front of her, he looked down into her face. His eyes caught the light from the sconces, glinting with a swirl of green and gold. They dropped to her mouth before jumping back to hers.

  “You’ve got sugar on your lips,” he notified her, his voice low and gravelly.

  She licked her upper lip. “Did I get it?”

  He moved closer, the front of his long-sleeved dress shirt brushing against her chest. She sucked in a shaky breath, trying not to let him see how much his nearness affected her. But she didn’t think she was successful in hiding her desire.

  “Not there.” He touched his thumb to her lower lip, toward the corner. “Here.”

  Dropping his head, he licked the spot where his thumb had been. She gasped, certain that she was having yet another X-rated dream starring Jake. When his tongue flicked along the outer edge of her upper lip, she realized it wasn’t a dream.

  “And you’ve got some here,” he murmured, tracing her lower lip with his tongue.

  She gripped his upper arms, his biceps rock hard under her fingers. “What are you doing?” she breathed against his mouth.

  He drew back to stare into her eyes. “I’m not y
our boss anymore, Kyla. I’m just a guy who works for the same company you do, and lucky for me, that company doesn’t have any rules against co-workers dating, even if they’re in the same department.”

  She barely heard a word he said because her ears were roaring with her pulse. “What?”

  He smiled slowly, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from his mouth. She clutched his arms tighter, wanting those lips on every part of her body.

  “I’m not your boss anymore,” he repeated. “I have been counting the days until … until I could …”

  “Until you could what?” she whispered.

  “Until I could be with you,” he answered hoarsely. “That’s all I want … a chance to be with you.”

  Be with you.

  She let go of his arms, fisted his shirt in her hands, and pulled him forward at the same time she lunged up on her tiptoes. She pressed her mouth against his, and his hands fell to her hips, his fingers digging into the upper curves of her rear.

  His stubble was scratchy, but his lips were soft and warm. Tilting his head, he aligned their mouths and took control of their kiss. He nipped her lower lip, demanding entrance, and she opened for him. His tongue swept inside, and she couldn’t hold back a moan when she tasted him.

  Nothing—no one—had ever tasted so good. Jake tasted better than her mom’s devil’s food cake with cherry-vanilla icing, better than a hot fudge sundae with marshmallow topping, better than…

  She twirled her tongue around his, and their kiss grew hotter … wetter. She locked her hands around his neck to hold him tighter, and he delved deeper into the interior of her mouth, forcing her to open even more.

  Greedily, she sucked on his tongue, and he pulled her closer, nudging his erection into her stomach. Arousal flooded her panties, and every thought flew from her head except one: how soon could she get him inside her?

  Desperate to soothe the ache between her thighs, she raised her leg and hooked it around his. He moaned deep in his throat before palming her butt and lifting her until his erection nestled against her crotch.

  “Oh!”

  The exclamation came from behind them, and Jake jerked away from her, breathing hard. Glancing over her shoulder, Kyla glimpsed Sam’s startled face.

  “I’m really sorry,” Sam said, his face redder than cinnamon candy. “I didn’t expect … I was just …”

  After an awkward pause, Jake cleared his throat. “Sam, can you give us a second?”

  Sam hesitated before saying, “They served dinner a few minutes ago. Everyone was asking where Kyla was, so I volunteered to find her.”

  A laugh rumbled in Jake’s chest. “You found her. Go tell everyone she’ll be there shortly.”

  Sam nodded before clumsily backing out the door. It banged shut behind him, and Kyla brought her attention back to Jake. He slowly dropped his hands from her hips, almost as if he couldn’t stand not to touch her.

  Kyla took a steadying breath. Her former boss had just kissed her, and her current boss had witnessed it.

  “Sam won’t tell anyone,” she said.

  “I don’t give a fuck if he tells the whole world,” Jake shot back, his tone low and intense.

  She had never heard him say the F-word before, and her mouth fell open in surprise. His eyebrows arched as if daring her to comment on his bad language, and she snapped her mouth shut.

  “Kyla, I’m done hiding my feelings for you.”

  He gazed at her intently, obviously waiting for her to respond. But she just stood there, her throat too tight to speak. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

  Jake had feelings for her.

  Feelings.

  She wanted him so much, and miraculously, it seemed that he felt the same way. She had never guessed. He had done a great job hiding how he really felt.

  After a moment, he sighed and tilted his head toward the door. “Let’s go have some dinner.”

  Placing a big hand on her waist, he turned her toward the door and ushered her forward. Suddenly she remembered why she had been in the corridor in the first place: she needed to go to the bathroom. She stopped, and he glanced down at her, his eyebrows arched in silent query.

  “I need a second. You go ahead.”

  He studied her for a moment, his eyes lit with concern. “Are you okay?” He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Are we okay?”

  She was too overwhelmed to do anything but nod. He sighed again, his breath stirring her hair. “I didn’t plan to kiss you in a dark hallway, but…”

  She finally found her voice. “But what?”

  “But I’m glad I did.” His firm lips quirked in a satisfied smile. “Especially since you kissed me back.”

  *****

  As Kyla’s celebration wound down, Jake stationed himself beside the staircase so he could check in with everyone who had come. Since Diana had already left the party, he was the next-highest-ranking person in the group. As such, he felt responsible for the employees who were here, even if they didn’t report directly to him.

  One by one, his colleagues trickled out of the dining area, and he thanked them for attending. At the same time, he assessed whether they were sober enough to drive home. He didn’t want anyone in his group to hurt themselves or others by driving drunk, and he offered to pick up the tab if they needed a ride.

  He, meanwhile, hadn’t had more than a few sips of beer. And he’d barely eaten anything, either. His appetite for food and drink had been overtaken by a far more powerful hunger for Kyla. Now that he’d had a taste of her, he wanted her even more. He’d wanted her forever, and he sensed that he was this close to getting exactly what he wanted.

  Finally, Kyla and Sam were the only people remaining upstairs. They’d sat next to each other during dinner, and more than once, Jake had noticed them whispering to each other, their heads close together.

  When Sam hadn’t been busy whispering to Kyla, he’d been studying Jake with an unreadable expression. Sam was happily married, so Jake doubted the other man was jealous. If anything, he was probably concerned that Jake was playing games with Kyla.

  Leaning against the banister, Jake waited for them to make their way to the stairs. Not for the first time this evening, he let his gaze wander up and down Kyla’s body.

  Although she usually wore Rileys, tonight she had dressed in a pair of black trousers that showed off her slender waist and round hips. He especially liked her silky shirt, which was the color of dark cherries. With its row of tiny ruffles running down the front, it accentuated her full breasts.

  Since he had a predilection for that particular part of a woman’s body, he had spent a fair amount of time furtively eyeing Kyla’s. From what he could tell, they were bigger than average, and he was desperate to touch and taste them.

  When Kyla and Sam reached his side, Jake held out his right hand to the older man. “Thanks for coming tonight, Sam,” he said as they shook hands. “I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

  Sam arched an eyebrow. “I doubt that I enjoyed myself as much as you and Kyla.”

  Kyla made a funny sound, something between a gasp and a giggle. She glanced at Jake, her face bright pink, and he smiled down at her.

  “You may be right, Sam,” he agreed without taking his eyes off the gorgeous blonde in front of him. “I know I’ve never enjoyed myself quite so much.”

  Sam snorted. “That was fairly obvious.”

  Kyla’s cheeks got even pinker, and when she dropped her gaze to her feet, Jake brought his attention back to Sam. “Did you drive here or did you take a taxi?”

  “I took a taxi from work with Kyla, and we were just talking about how to get home.”

  “I thought we were going to share a taxi,” Kyla interjected.

  Jake caught her gaze. “I’ll give you a ride.”

  Before she could reply, Sam dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you later.” Gripping the railing, he started down the stairs but only took a couple of steps before he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“Enjoy that ride, Jake,” he said with an exaggerated wink.

  Jake waved good-bye to Sam before turning back to Kyla. She was gripping her big purse in front of her like a shield, and he held out his hand to her. “Let’s get out of here.”

  She stared down at his palm, motionless, and pressure built inside his chest—something far worse than panic. But then she placed her slender hand in his, and the pressure dissolved like a spoonful of sugar in hot tea.

  Moments later, they reached his motorcycle, which he’d parked near the restaurant’s side entrance. Kyla looked down at his primary mode of transportation and then looked up at him, her face etched with a mix of shock and trepidation.

  “You ride a motorcycle?” She slowly shook her head. “How did I not know that about you?”

  Raising the Triumph’s seat, he pulled out two black helmets. He held one out to her, but she didn’t take it. He hung his helmet on the handlebars and placed hers on top of her shiny hair. After fastening the strap, he tugged on it to make sure it was tight enough.

  She nervously grasped his hand and tilted her head back until she could meet his eyes. “Jake, I’m risk-averse, and riding a motorcycle ranks pretty high on my risk continuum.”

  The earnest expression on her face was just so damn cute he couldn’t help but drop his head and touch his mouth to hers in a brief kiss. Wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, he said, “You’re safe with me. I promise.”

  He wasn’t irresponsible, impulsive, or reckless. And he would be extra careful with Kyla because, although she didn’t know it, his future happiness completely depended on her.

  Taking her bag, he stowed it under the seat before shrugging off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders. A weird thrill shot through him when he saw her small frame enveloped in it.

  Maybe it was something left over from high school when a jock gave his girl his letterman’s jacket. Did teenagers even do that anymore? She made him feel like a teenager—anxious, eager to please, and most of all … horny.

  As Kyla eased her arms into his jacket and zipped up the front, he climbed onto the bike. Once she finished, he held out his hand to her, and this time she took it without hesitation, swinging her leg over the seat and wrapping her arms around his waist.