Just One Scandal (The Kingston Family 2)

“Then let me make those decisions for myself,” Chloe said, and Linc finally listened to her and walked out the door.

* * *

With her brother gone, Chloe groaned and laid her pounding head on her arm against the doorframe, unable and unwilling to face her so-called savior just yet. What she hadn’t said out loud, wasn’t willing to admit, was that she couldn’t remember anything past Beck carrying her upstairs and placing her on the bed.

She’d woken up to the sound of the two men yelling and realized she wore only her underwear beneath the covers of the hotel bed. Then she’d grabbed a robe and entered the main room to find Beck, one fine male specimen, wearing boxer briefs and nothing more.

“Chloe?” Beck’s voice called to her.

Knowing she had no choice, she straightened and turned to face him. “Hi.”

He grinned at her. “Hi.”

She bit the inside of her cheek and forced herself to ask the question she needed the answer to more than any other. “What happened last night? I don’t remember beyond you bringing me up here. Thank you, by the way. But did we…” A raging flush rose to her cheeks.

“Relax, princess. Nothing happened except I brought you up here and put you to bed.”

“Princess?”

His low, sexy laugh made her body parts tingle. “That’s what you looked like in your gown.”

“Umm … did you undress me?” she forced herself to ask.

He folded his arms across his chest, his muscles bunching in his forearms, his six-pack hard and firm. Never mind the bulge in his boxer briefs she was trying hard not to look at.

“I unhooked all those buttons. You did the striptease yourself.” He winked and she burned all over.

“I’m so embarrassed.” She placed her hands on her hot cheeks.

“Don’t be. Considering the day you’d had, I think you held up well. Except for the crying about how your safe choice in men turned out to be anything but.”

She winced, the memories of how she’d behaved coming back to her in flashes. “Oh, God.”

“It’s fine. Everything will work out,” he assured her. And when he said it, she almost believed him.

“Come on.” He grasped her elbow. “Let’s look at the room service menu. I’m sure you need something to eat. Then we can head back to my place.”

Her head jerked up. Though she’d told Linc she’d take Beck up on his offer to stay with him, she was far from having decided that yet. She’d just wanted her brother to give her time and space.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have anywhere else to go?”

“Well, no. Unless I take a hotel room.” She didn’t want a cold, sterile place to stay any more than she wanted her family’s worried looks and attempts at help.

He shrugged. “Your choice but I have a spare guest room, and the invitation’s open.”

“I’ll take it,” she said before she could change her mind. “I just have one request.”

“Name it,” he said.

“You can’t walk around in your underwear.”

He burst out laughing and the sight was incredible. He was so handsome with his jet-black hair on the longer side, his jade-green eyes and sculpted features. And when he let go enough to laugh like that? She was drawn to him even more.

But her brother obviously had issues with the man. She knew they were business rivals and also recalled them being friends in college until they’d had some sort of falling-out. Linc never talked about it. And for today, she didn’t want to know the details.

But there was something she was curious about. “Beck? Why did you help me last night?”

His expression grew more serious. “At first you’d just pulled us in to have fun. Once I realized how much you’d had to drink and when I saw someone make a play for you, I decided someone needed to keep you safe. I didn’t want anyone taking advantage.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

But to her it was. He clearly could have had sex with her and left her alone in that big bed. But he hadn’t. “And why did you stay?”

He ran a hand over his face. “I didn’t want you to wake up alone and be scared. I’m going to get the menu,” he said and disappeared into the other room.

Clearly she’d made him uncomfortable. Still, warmth settled in her chest, and gratitude that he was a decent guy rushed over her. She knew his business reputation and had heard Linc cursing over lost deals to Beck’s company more than once. So maybe he was a shark in the boardroom.

But he’d definitely been a saint in the bedroom. Since she’d been drunk, she was thankful. But she couldn’t help wondering what sex with Beck would be like if she were sober. Something a woman who’d been dumped not twenty-four hours ago shouldn’t be thinking about.