Dangerous Crush (Dangerous Noise 2)

Kit laughs as I surface. "You want to swim, there's a pool on the roof."

"I don't have a suit."

"I don't have a problem with that." He runs his fingers through my hair. "Want me to wash your hair?"

Actually, I do. The strength of my desire catches me off guard. I have to bite my tongue to keep my voice even. "Okay."

He squeezes shampoo into his hands and runs his fingers through my hair. "You sore?"

"Only a little." I lean into his touch. "When did your mom start using?"

"I'm not sure. I always knew there was something off about her. She wasn't like Joel's mom. Like my teachers. She got sad when my dad went on business trips. She'd drink too much wine and get stuck in. I'd have to put her to bed, have to clean her up. The maid took care of the house, the food, but she stayed clear of Mom."

"That's a lot of responsibility for a kid."

"Yeah." He combs through my hair. "It took a while for me to realize why. I thought she missed my dad. I did too, but we'd order pizza and stay up late watching movies when he was gone. For a ten year old, that's as good as it gets." He fills a glass with water and uses it to rinse my hair. "One trip, my dad left his wallet on the table, with all his receipts. I was curious—it seemed like a sweet deal, his company paying for dinner."

"He was having an affair?"

Kit's voice gets low. "Yeah. He had the evidence right there. He didn't bother to hide it, not that he was having dinner at a restaurant ten miles away when he was supposed to be on the other side of the country, not even the Victoria's Secret receipt."

"Your mom knew?"

"She always knew. The more attention I paid, the more obvious it was. He'd get home smelling like strange perfume. He'd leave early. He'd skip my Little League games—"

"You played Little League?"

"That a problem?"

"No. But I thought you hated baseball. Last time Ethan and Joel started arguing about The Angels vs the Giants you made an excuse to leave."

"Makes me think about my mom sitting there in the stands, high as a kite." He rinses my hair. "When I was about thirteen, I got into a fight with him about it. He invited me to his study."

"He had a study?"

Kit nods. "Yeah, we were old school." He squirts conditioner into his hands then he's running it through my hair. "He told me what was going on. Said I was old enough to get that this was how things were. He loved my Mom but the passion was gone, and he needed it. He needed someone young and pretty and eager."

"That's fucked up."

"Yeah. But that's not how he explained it. To Dad, that's how it was. Men cheat. Period. Doesn't matter how much they loved their wives."

I dip into the water to rinse my hair. It buys me a minute to think. Maybe I don't know Kit well, but I do know him.

And he's not like that.

When I surface, I turn enough to look him in the eyes. "Do you believe that?"

"I did. My dad was my idol. He was a respected executive. He was smart, funny, charming. Handsome—he looked a lot like I do now, only without

the piercings and ink, and in a suit."

"He must have cleaned up."

"Yeah. He was good with people. He had that effortless charm Joel and Ethan have. The million dollar smile that makes women fall over themselves trying to impress him."

I slide my arms around his neck. "You're just as irresistible."

"Cause I'm hot and famous."