Kurt held her hips.
Tilting her head to the side, she opened her mouth, and he ran his tongue across her lips. She released a little moan.
A cell phone ringing had them both pulling apart. Her lips tingled. Kurt stared at her. “The phone’s not mine.”
She frowned, then remembered her own cell phone. Glancing down, she saw it was Elsa, and told him so.
“Answer, I’ll show you to your room.”
“Hey, Elsa,” she said.
“Did I catch you at a bad time? You sound a little breathless.”
“No, it’s not a bad time.”
“It’s totally a bad time,” Kurt said.
Kim ignored him, following him back the way that they’d come.
“I phoned Mr. Coal, and he said you were no longer working for him. What’s going on?”
“Well, I have a new job now, one you’re not going to believe.”
“Oh, tell me all about it.”
Kurt grabbed her bags, and they made their way upstairs. She walked quickly, trying hard not to think about the kiss they had just shared together. Her lips tingled, and if it hadn’t been for Elsa, she’d have kept on kissing him. He took her to the third room on the right, opening the door.
“Let me know when you’re done. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
He left her alone, and she sat on the edge of the bed.
“Who was that?” Elsa asked.
“That was Kurt Michaels.”
“Wait? Noah’s Kurt? Bully Kurt?”
“Yep to both counts.”
“What are you doing with him?”
“He came to offer me a job, and I’m currently at his country home getting settled in.”
“Okay, I’ve missed a shitload of information here. Tell me all.”
“I kissed him, Elsa.”
“You kissed Kurt? Your sworn enemy?”
“Yes, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t want it to stop.”
“You really need to start from the beginning.”
****
Pulling out his cell phone, Kurt dialed Noah’s number.
“Stewart here,” Noah said.
“Don’t you ever see who is calling?”
“Nope. Where would the fun be in that? I was hoping you were my wife, but clearly not.”
“You love that don’t you?” Kurt said, smiling.
“I’ll never get tired of it. What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve given Kim a job, and she’s telling Elsa about it now. Thought I’d do the nice thing for you, so you’re not in the dark.”
“Wait? You’re hiring Kim.”
“Yep, to paint.”
“Kurt?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s really going on?”
Noah had always been able to see through him. There had once been four of them. Him, Noah, Adam, and Ryan. Now, it was just the two of them. The other friendships had failed whereas theirs had remained strong. He was really proud of what they’d been able to do together.
“Nothing.”
“Kurt, you’ve not had a serious relationship in years. Every time we talk, you ask about Kim. When you went to college, you banged your way through freshmen right up to actual professors. You were trying to fuck her out of your system. Ten years on, you’re her savior? It’s me, man, Noah.”
Rubbing the back of his head, he let out a breath. “She needed help.”
“How did you know that? I never told you about the guy she was working for.”
“You should have told me sooner that he was a real piece of work. He told her that she was brilliant, even though her work wasn’t good enough to do an exhibit for. Did you know I did some research, and the people he helped, paid him? Can you believe that?”
“You’re very protective of Kim, even after all this time.”
Kurt let out a sigh, and stared up at the sky. “What are you getting at, man?”
“Ten years, Kurt. Ten years, and you’re still chasing after her.”
Staring across the kitchen, he placed his fingers against his lips. It had been ten years, but that kiss had been totally worth it.
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
“You and Kim have this strange kind of relationship going, and don’t pretend you don’t, because you do. Back in high school, you hurt her, and since then, you’ve done everything to try and get in her pants.”
“This isn’t about that. I’m not that same asshole from high school, Noah. This is about more than that.”
“Do you love her?” Noah asked.
“What?”
“Do you? I think I know the answer. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that you have feelings for her.”
“I do. I love her.” He’d loved her for a long time, and even as he’d been with other women, trying to forget her, it hadn’t happened. Kurt’s feelings for her hadn’t gone away.
“She doesn’t have a clue how you feel about her.”
“I know.” Kurt wanted to tell him about the kiss, but instead, he chose to remain silent. That was his, and no one was going to take that away from him. The kiss belonged to him, no one else.
He wondered if she was telling Elsa?
Didn’t that mean something good if she was?
Women told each other everything that was important.
Crap. She was making him think about girly stuff.