She quickly searched the area around her to make sure no one was standing close enough to hear. “Brianna, is there any chance this was related to us?”
“You mean you think Dad’s enemies might have been behind what happened at the Blaziers?”
Coco nodded rapidly. “Is it possible?”
“Anything is possible,” Tyler pointed out. “Then again, you have to consider what your boys do for a living.”
“Tyler,” Flint snipped. “Remember where you are.”
Coco was stunned. She’d always thought Nate and Geraldine had been cautious. She’d never imagined anyone knowing what they might do to earn their income. Unable to come up with a believable response, she held her shoulders high and said, “Of course I hadn’t thought of that, Tyler. You’re right. My boys, as you put it, are in a very dangerous career. Being a livestock dealer in today’s world isn’t as safe as it used to be. There are some shady characters in the business.” She leveled a stare at each one of them before she added, “As I’m sure Brianna now knows.”
Chapter Two
An hour later, Kurt followed Coco to her bedroom, not really sure what to expect but somewhat taken aback by the orderly display of girly things. Pale pinks and baby blue colors along with a doll and teacup collection suggested there was a side to this woman he knew so little about. Given the way she carried herself and the way she dressed at his home, he’d summed her up as a black-and-white kind of woman, one with matted sketches and modern artwork.
“The Baldini clan isn’t home today?” Kurt stood right inside her door, thinking he probably needed an invitation before he made himself comfortable. He only had two choices for a seat anyway—either her bed or a light blue settee which was covered in lingerie. He was half-hard thinking about those womanly items, the thong he could see with the silver ring at the top, the lacy bra with demi-style cups, and so many other soft and delicate undergarments.
Coco pulled a suitcase from an upper shelf in her closet and threw open the hard top. It landed on her floor with a clunk. “I didn’t even bother to unpack the last time I was at your—” A wail escaped her lips then and she covered her mouth, bowed her head and collapsed.
“Oh, baby.” Kurt went to the floor, too, pulling her against his chest and scooting to the bed so he could use the footboard for support.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed, crying her little heart out as his own tears stung his eyes. “I’m sorry.” She shook and another cry escaped her lips. “It’s just—”
“Shh,” he whispered, stroking her silken black hair. “I know, baby. I know exactly what it is. We don’t have to talk. You don’t have to explain.”
Coco rested her cheek against his chest and her wet face soaked his shirt. He held her still tighter, assuring her everything would be all right.
At some point, they fell asleep. The late afternoon had turned into early nightfall before Kurt was jarred awake by a grandfather’s clock chiming in the distance. Six long resonating clangs struck out before Coco lifted her head.
“Oh no.” She gasped. “We should go.”
“Hang on there a minute.” He grabbed her arm before she slipped away. “What’s your rush?”
“I’m needed,” she said frantically. “Liam and Brandon…all of them must be starved to death by now.”
“Do you think that’s why I asked you to go home with me?” He studied her beautiful flushed face and those mesmerizing royal blue eyes, now swollen from all the crying. “Coco, we want you at home with us because we’re already missing four of our own. It was too much to bear to think of your absence too.”
He weaved his hand through her soft locks, realizing she probably had a headache because he’d petted her so much throughout their nap. It had been a natural action, one he couldn’t explain, let alone control. He needed to touch her, caress and comfort her. He’d longed to be close to her and it had been that way since the night his mother and brothers had died.
He’d missed her and he wanted her to know how much.
Without thinking about the poor timing or the way she might interpret his intentions, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her for the first time. He was aware of her reluctance, of how she pulled back at first, how she seemingly rose to her knees with her head slightly bowed, never giving, but receiving his kiss, accepting his kiss.
“Look at me,” he whispered, tilting her chin up. “I want you to see me—not Brandon—kissing you.”
She thinned her lips then. Pushing him back by flattening her hands on his shoulders, she shook her head and whispered, “No. We can’t…”
“Tell me why you want me to stop.” He held her wrists firmly in his hands. “Talk to me.”
She kept her lips firmly closed and narrowed her eyes on his chest. He wasn’t even sure she saw him then and for a split second, he started to take it personally. Then, he remembered a past moment they’d shared, how she’d expressed herself one evening after a Blazier bonfire down on the river. She’d found him in the barn kissing one of their guests.
Often reflecting on the evening, he had been sure of two things. One, he’d kissed the wrong damn girl that particular night and two, if he’d been fucking her instead of kissing her, Coco still would’ve interrupted them.
He couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
“Don’t do that.”
“What am I doing?”