the memories of their time together flooded her mind—long nights, laughter and loving... No. Not loving. The thought created an urge to get under his skin in the only way she knew how.
She shifted as close to him as her seat belt would allow. “Well,” she said, reaching out a fingertip. “I know you’re sensitive here.” She brushed gently back and forth along the outer edge of his ear, then down along his jawline. “I know you shave early and often because you don’t like looking scruffy.” The back of her hand rubbed down along his throat, then up along his collarbone. “I know your favorite sexual position is missionary because it gives you the most control—”
“What do you want to know?” Jacob interrupted, his voice deep and rough.
She leaned back in her seat, trying to cover her smile of satisfaction. Torturing him had always been fun. “What do you do—I mean, really do? What do you care about? Enjoy? Do you plan on staying here for longer than just the time it takes to get the mill on track?”
“What about you?” he asked, countering a question with a question.
“What do you mean?”
“The same questions apply to you,” he said, turning the Tahoe into a nearby parking lot so he could face her. “This won’t be a one-way street, KC.”
Yes, her sins would haunt her forever. She should never have kept Carter from Jake.
His gaze held her immobile as he spoke. “I’m not the only one paying for my mistakes,” he said, leaning closer, crowding her until her heart fluttered in panic. “We’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other.”
“I’m sure,” she said with a nod, trying to get a handle on her nerves.
His gaze dropped to her lips as she licked them, reminding her of things she was better off forgetting. The space around them closed in before he spoke. “The thing is, with your history, I’m now questioning every word from these pretty lips.”
She had no warning when his thumb came up to rub back and forth across her mouth. It affected her more than she wanted to admit, and left her dreaming of more.
“Consequences, KC. Those are my terms.”
Her lips firmed, and she had a feeling she’d adopted the stubborn look she was known to turn on disruptive customers. Jacob simply smiled, then pulled back and got them on the road again.
“Well,” she said, a little stumped, “my life is pretty simple, as you saw before. My job, my time revolves around my family.”
“They’re supportive? Of you and Carter?”
Her heart jumped at the softening of his voice as he said their son’s name. “Definitely. Our family is very close. And my grandmother, mother and brother love Carter unconditionally.”
Even if their new connection to the Blackstone family scared her mother no end. KC rubbed her palms against her jean-covered thighs, searching for more words. “What about your family?” She swallowed hard, distracted by thoughts of her friend Christina, a true Blackstone now. She would be so mad when she realized KC had kept the truth about Carter from her. “Did you tell them?”
“I guess you’ll see,” Jacob said, then turned the truck abruptly into a construction area.
With a start, KC realized they were at the site of the new playground Aiden Blackstone had raised money to build on the south end of town. The large field had been cleared and leveled, with concrete slabs laid in various areas to anchor the equipment. Current construction seemed to center around a two-story fort at the far end.
There, a group of people stood to one side while a handful of construction workers drilled to secure the platforms. “Do they know we’re coming?” she asked.
“They knew I was coming,” Jacob said. “You’ll just be the bonus.”
Yeah, right.
Jacob settled his palm on the door’s handle, then spoke while staring straight ahead. “And for the record, my favorite position isn’t missionary. It’s you on top.”
KC swallowed hard. That revelation held her in place for longer than she liked. Her mind wandered back to all the times—no. No time for that now.
She’d be better off remembering all the times he’d left her to go back to Philadelphia with rarely a call between trips. KC scrambled out of the car, ignoring Jacob’s frown. He’d always liked to open the door for her, and she’d trained herself to wait for him. It had been hard for a girl who’d always taken care of herself, but she’d done it because it made him happy. And deep down, because it made her feel special. Letting him do it now would be too big of a reminder of those precious moments.
As she followed at a slight distance behind him across the open lot, KC wished there was at least one happy face in the crowd. She recognized the newlywed couple as they approached, and neither looked very welcoming.
Yep, the news of Carter’s parentage had spread.
Jacob introduced her to his brother, but Christina stepped in before he could go further. “We know each other,” she said quietly. “Hey, KC.”
KC couldn’t read her friend’s tone or expression. They’d been very close before KC left, often hanging out in the same group of women. But she, Christina and their friend Avery Prescott had formed a tight bond through community work that hadn’t been weakened by their different social statuses. KC had told them she was moving away for a job, and other than some chance encounters, she hadn’t tried to renew her bond with the women since she’d returned.
All it would have taken was one of them to figure out who Carter’s father was, and they all would have known. Living and working in Blackstone Manor—and now married to the Blackstone heir—Christina posed a danger to KC. She hadn’t wanted to risk anything until she had all her ducks in a row.
Seeing Christina now reminded KC how much she’d given up in the past year, but keeping Carter safe had been worth it.
“KC, I’m sorry we’ve never met formally,” Aiden said.
How should she respond? Me, too? Since she’d determined to stay as far away from the Blackstones as possible, that would be a complete lie.
He went on, apparently not expecting a response. “There’s no point in beating around the bush,” he said, earning an eye roll from his wife. “Jacob told us what happened, or rather, why you left town.”
He glanced at his wife, and they shared a look of momentary communion. “If Christina and I understand anything, it’s how manipulative my grandfather was, how he set out to twist the world into his own version of perfect. But for the record, we look forward to you and Carter joining our family.”
KC shot a glance at Jacob, wondering how he felt about all this. His stoic look gave nothing away. “I’m not sure how this will work out yet...”
Aiden shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If you need us, we’re here.”
Then he turned to talk to Jacob as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of the park.
“How’s
