Kiara was packing up for the day when Blaise texted to tell her he’d stop by the office to pick her up for dinner instead of meeting her at High Rollers, as they’d planned.
“Hey, beautiful. I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
Kiara was speechless when she looked up to see her ex standing in the doorway with a bouquet of white roses. “Uh, Eli, what are you doing here? I told you I couldn’t see you tonight.” Or any other night, for that matter.
“I know, but I needed to see you. There were things I wanted to say to you that night in my hotel room, but you left so quickly I didn’t get a chance.”
“And I told you why I had to leave.” Kiara offered a tight smile when he placed the flowers on her desk. “I’m involved with someone. I never should have gone up to your room.”
“Then why did you?” Before Kiara had a chance to respond, he said, “I’ll tell you why. It’s because you’re still attracted to me. You can deny it all you want, but I know you too well. We spent two years together at Harvard. That was probably your longest running relationship.”
She wanted to deny it, but he was right. “But it ended for a reason. You wanted to stay in Boston and start your business, and I wanted to move here and join Mitchell’s. I’d say we both made the right decision.”
“Sweetheart, timing is everything.” He came around to her side of the desk and perched his lithe body on the corner as he reached for her hand. “The timing wasn’t right then. It is now. I come to Arlington at least once, sometimes twice a month on business. You said you have a client in Boston who brings you to town at least once a month. We could make this work. I know we could.”
Kiara withdrew her hand. “You’re not hearing me, Eli. I’m seeing someone else.”
He rolled his eyes. “A boxer. Really? You’re a Harvard graduate, for crying out loud. Your I.Q. rivals mine. You can honestly tell me you’d be happy spending your life with a boxer?”
The way he said boxer raised Kiara’s ire. She’d forgotten what a pompous jackass he could be. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we’re not talking about spending our lives together. We’re just having fun.” Ugh, she hadn’t meant to minimize her relationship with Blaise. “I mean we’re just figuring things out.” That didn’t sound much better.
“So if you’re not committed to him, why can’t we see each other?” He crossed his arms, drawing the expensive fabric of his black suit jacket tighter across his broad shoulders. His prematurely graying hair suited him, accentuating his dark skin and light eyes, but Kiara refused to allow herself to dwell on his physical appeal.
“I didn’t say I’m not committed to him.” She stood, hoping to put some distance between them.
He gripped her waist before she could sneak past. “Then you’re sleeping with him?”
“Damn it,” she said, flushing. “You have no right to ask me that!”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer.” He parted his legs, drawing her closer.
She planted a hand on his chest to keep distance between them, but she didn’t want to be dramatic by trying to wriggle out of his arms. “And I don’t intend to. Do I ask you who you’re sleeping with?”
“You can,” he said, licking his lips as his gaze traveled to her mouth.
If he even thinks about kissing me, I’ll smack him. “I’m not interested.”
“No one,” he said, answering a question she’d never asked. “Do you know why?”
“Ask me if I care.”
Eli chuckled, shaking his head. “Because of you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since we met up in Philadelphia. That kiss reminded me of how good we were together. Do you remember how hot it was? You were the best lover I’d ever had. You still hold that title.”
Time must have dimmed his memory. Compared to what she’d shared with Blaise last night, sex with Eli was lukewarm at best. “Nice to know, but we need to leave our relationship where it belongs—in the past.”
“Is it the sex?” he asked, tipping back his head. “Is that why you’re with him?”
She gasped, unable to believe his audacity. “My sex life is not up for discussion. I thought I made that clear.”
“Good sex can’t be the basis for a solid relationship, Kiara. You know that.” He laughed. “What could you possibly have in common with that idiot? His eyes would probably glaze over if you tried talking to him about arbitrage or derivatives. We speak the same language, honey. We understand each other. We’re not just compatible in bed, but out of bed too.”
She pursed her lips, glaring at him. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Blaise. How dare you assume that just because he’s a former boxer, he’s stupid. He’s not.”
“Really?” Eli smiled. “He barely graduated high school. Did you know that?”
Blaise had confided in Kiara that he’d had trouble in school, and since she could tell it was a sore spot, she hadn’t pushed for more information. “So what?” She peeled Eli’s hands off her waist and stepped back. “Some of the most successful people in the world didn’t finish high school. And some of the dimmest people I know graduated from Ivy League schools.” She raised her hand, gesturing to him. “Case in point.”
He smirked. “Fine, I insulted your boyfriend, and you’re pissed at me. I get it.”
“It’s time for you to go. Blaise is stopping by to pick me up in a few minutes, and you wouldn’t want to make the mistake of running into him, trust me.”
“Is that what turns you on now? Brawn instead of brains?” He pushed off her desk. “Must be a phase you’re going through. When you realize you two having nothing in common, which you will, you know where to find me.”
***
It took everything in Blaise not to bust into Kiara’s office and put that smug bastard in his place, but he stood rooted to the spot, listening. She was defending him and their relationship, sort of, but not with enough vehemence to convince him she wasn’t questioning whether her ex was right about him. How could he blame her? Blaise had been questioning whether he was good enough for her every damn day since they’d met. Her ex was just bringing to light Blaise’s deepest insecurities and forcing Kiara to analyze them. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d feel differently about him now that Eli had planted the seed.
“Can I help you, sir?”
Blaise turned to see a silver-haired woman in a no-nonsense navy business suit and sensible shoes walk in. She took a seat behind the desk in the reception area, leading Blaise to assume she was Kiara’s assistant. “Um no, thank you.”
Now that he’d been ousted, he had no choice but to make his presence known. Since Kiara’s office door was already half-open, he didn’t bother knocking. “Hey, baby. You ready to go?” His gaze swung to Eli’s before he closed the door. “I could pretend I didn’t know you had company, but why bother? We all know I heard every goddamn word you said.”
Kiara gaped at Blaise before shooting Eli an uneasy look. “Uh, Blaise, this is—”
“I know who he is.” Blaise crossed his arms, drawing attention to his massive biceps and the tattoos decorating his forearms. If the power to intimidate was the only tool he had, he intended to use it. “The guy who thinks he stands a chance of taking you away from me.”
Eli swallowed, looking visibly nervous. “I should probably be going.”
Blaise stepped into his path when he tried to make his way to the door. “I don’t think so, man. Not until you and I have a little chat.”
“Uh, babe?” Kiara rushed toward Blaise. “Just let him go. I made it clear where things stand. Eli won’t be bothering me again.”
“See, guys like this don’t like taking no for an answer,” Blaise said, planting two fingers on Eli’s chest to push him back a step. Blaise had six inches and fifty pounds on the guy, so he didn’t intend to challenge him physically. He just wanted to make his point in a way Eli would never forget. “You have to explain things to them in terms they’ll understand.”
Eli squared his shoulders. “I, uh, do understand. Kiara’s with you now.”
Blaise glanced over Kiara’s shoulder at the flowers on her desk. “Yet you brought her flowers. See, I have a real problem with another guy bringin’ my girl flowers.”
“Won’t happen again.”
“You’re right it won’t.” Blaise leaned in closer. “’Cause if it does, I won’t be so forgiving next time. You got me?”
“Y-yeah.” He bobbed his head like one of those cheap plastic figurines. “I got it.”
“Good.” Blaise stepped out of his path, gesturing toward the door. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”
Kiara waited until Eli had slammed the door behind him before she reached for Blaise. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was coming here. I told him I couldn’t see him. He knew about us.” She shrugged. “I guess he thought he could change my mind if he saw me in person.”
“And did he change your mind?” Blaise asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. He saw anger flash in her eyes, but he had to know if she was having second thoughts about him after the points her ex-boyfriend made.
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you having second thoughts about me? Or us?” He still didn’t know what had happened with Morin, but he suspected she wouldn’t be in his arms right now if she knew their whole sordid history.
“Of course not. Why would you ask me that?”
“You told him we weren’t serious, that we’re just having fun. Is that really how you see it?”
She winced and looked away. “I’m sorry you heard that. I shouldn’t have said it. It just sort of came out when he pressed me about our relationship.”
“How do you see things between us?” he asked, tipping her head up with his finger. “You seemed content to keep things casual up to this point, but when we made love last night…” He shrugged. “I thought that changed things.”
“It did.” She seemed to be choosing her words carefully as she curled her hands around his biceps. “Last night was incredible, so much more than I expected.” She blushed. “Sorry, it’s not that I didn’t think it would be good. I knew it would. I just didn’t expect that kind of connection. It was amazing.”
Her confirmation bolstered his confidence in what they’d shared, but he still needed to hear her say that she was committed to trying. He wanted a real relationship with her and hoped they were on the same page. “Does that mean we’re beyond pretending this is a casual thing?”
“Um, I’m not sure what you’re asking.”
Kiara was a smart girl. He shouldn’t have to spell it out for her, and the fact that she was forcing him to do so resurrected his uneasiness. “I’m asking if you’re ready for a serious relationship at this stage in your life.”
“I… think so.” She nodded as though she felt the need to punctuate her point or make it more believable somehow.
“Okay, I guess the next logical question is whether you’re sure you want me.” Before she could answer, he said, “I’m not delusional, Kiara. I know you could have any man you want.”
“But I—”
He raised his hand. “Let me finish. I can’t pretend I saw this coming. If I’d known your story when we met, I don’t know that I would’ve let myself fall so hard, so fast.”
She frowned, taking a few steps back until her butt hit the edge of the desk. “What does that mean? You regret getting involved with me? Is this because of what Eli said? Because his opinion doesn’t carry any weight with me, I promise you that.”
“It’s not about him,” Blaise said, shaking his head slowly. “This is about me and how I feel about us.” He hated exposing himself, but it was important that she understand how he felt. “We’re from two different worlds, Ki. Your father’s a respected psychologist, and your mother’s a middle school principal.”
She folded her arms. “So?” What does that have to do with anything?”
“Everything.” He hated making it seem as though he wasn’t proud of his own accomplishments. He knew few people got the opportunity to live out their dream, and he had. He was grateful for that, but it didn’t change his standing in life or people’s opinions of him. Most of the time he couldn’t care less what people thought of him, but Kiara’s opinion, and her family’s, was important to him. Because she was important to him. “Everything your ex said about me was true. I was a lousy student. I barely finished high school.”
“I don’t care about that.” She gestured toward him. “Look at what you’ve done with your life. I’m more impressed by that than the grade you got in algebra a lifetime ago.”
“You may say that now, but what if things between us get serious?”
“So? I still don’t see how your education, or lack thereof, matters.”
He loved her for trying to make him feel better, but his insecurity was deep-seated, and it would take more than her assurances to help him shed them. “You say that now, but how would your parents feel about you dating me?”
She shrugged while thumbing the diamond stud in her ear as though she needed a distraction. “My parents trust my judgment. I’m old enough and mature enough to make my own decisions.”
“They groomed you for success.” He gestured toward her well-cut raspberry dress and nude heels. “You’re classy and sophisticated, well-educated, you have a great job and—”
“I don’t see why any of that would lead you to believe that my parents wouldn’t approve of you. They’re good, decent, honest, hard-working people. They’d understand how hard it was for you to make it, virtually on your own.”
“There’s a difference between respecting my work ethic and thinking I’m good enough for their little girl.” He wasn’t just worried about her parents’ opinion. He was afraid of falling irrevocably in love only to have her wake up one morning and decide she could do better than a washed-up boxer with a chip on his shoulder.
“I think you’re making excuses, looking for reasons why this won’t work. If you want out, just say so.” Her dark eyes flared with resentment. “No hard feelings.”
His jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious. You think I want you to dump me? Trust me, I don’t.”
“Then why are you assuming I will?” She swallowed, looking emotional. “You think this is easy for me? You think I’m not afraid? I am.”
He moved closer to rest his hands on her hips. His eyes landed on hers. “Ki, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just couldn’t move forward until we got this out. I don’t wanna get hurt, and I don’t want to hurt you.” But he knew if anyone would be destroyed, it would be him. That was how much he wanted her, how invested he was in her and their relationship.
“I don’t want that either.” She dropped her head against his chest. “I don’t know where this’ll go. No one does when they start a relationship. It’s always a risk. I guess we just have to decide whether it’s a risk worth taking.”
Blaise realized she was right. He’d never been one to run from a challenge, and he sure as hell wouldn’t start now. Not with so much at stake. “I’m willing to take a chance if you are.”
She tipped her head back, her beautiful face glowing with happiness and hope. “I’m definitely willing to take a chance on you.”