I made the time-out signal. “Wait. If you tell Zach everything I just told you, he might tell his father to stay in hiding. How do you know he’ll help us?”
“I don’t. But Zach has been trying to get his father to quit his gambling habit for years. And I don’t think Zach is even aware his old man has been stealing from innocent people. Which begs the question. If your father and his were friends, does Zach know you? Is that why you were in disguise?”
“Zach and I met once, briefly, years ago. I doubt he would remember me. Still, I didn’t want to take that chance.”
Dillon glanced at his watch. “Whatever I can do to help. Right now I need to pick up Allie and Bee from work.” He glanced at me. “Can I give you a ride back into Boston? Or you’re welcome to stay here.”
I rose, taking my cup of tea to the sink. “I should get back to the hostel and try to call the lawyer.”
“What?” Kelton asked. “You’re staying at a hostel?”
“Lizzie,” Dillon said, opening the fridge door. “Please move out of the hostel and stay here. There’s an extra room. Allie and Bee would love it.”
“Or,” Kelton said as he drew closer, “you can stay with me. You saw the mansion Zach and I are in. That place has five bedrooms.”
I volleyed my gaze back and forth like a spectator at a riveting tennis match until my mouth fell open at Kelton’s offer. Me stay with Kelton? Not a chance.
He gave me one of his toothy grins. My belly erupted with fluttering butterflies. Nope, not happening.
Dillon laughed. “Yeah, and you two would be fighting like caged animals. Besides, given that Maxwell lives with the enemy’s son, not the brightest idea.”
I agreed. Not only that, I was tired of the hostel. More importantly, I wouldn’t trust myself with Kelton. I’d be the one to slink into his room at night, if only for him to hold me. Yeah, right. There’d be a lot more than holding.
“Dillon asked first, and he’s right,” I said. “It would be awkward to wake up to find Terrance in the house if he showed up to see Zach.”
Kelton studied me with steely blue eyes. The family atmosphere between Dillon and the girls was something I hadn’t had in quite some time, and I could use the quietness of my own bedroom to think.
“Good,” Dillon said with a smile that warmed my heart. “Use my office in the basement to call the lawyer. I’ll be back later.” He shifted his gaze to Kelton. “You’re welcome to hang.” Then he grabbed a set of keys off the desk and slipped out through a doorway at the far end of the kitchen.
Once we were alone, silence hung heavy in the room as Kelton sized me up. Suddenly, my pulse was all over the place. Seven years of separation. Now, six feet. My gaze roamed over him—up then down and back up. When our eyes met—or more like collided—a beam of tingles shot straight to my toes. Need, want, hurt, and confusion were written all over his handsome face.
I cleared the emotion in my throat. “Cat got your tongue?”
He just stared, cocking his head slightly as though he had a thousand questions. No doubt he did. But if he wasn’t going to talk, I had things to do. More like I had to regroup. The kitchen walls were closing in on me. At any moment, seven years of my life were about to combust, and I wasn’t ready for the aftermath. Not yet, anyway. So I went in search of Dillon’s office.
13
Kelton
Lizzie walked away, her backside swaying, her long, dark hair almost touching the waist of her jeans. Once she was out of sight, I pushed all the air out of my lungs. I was a complete jackass for staring at her as if I wanted to strip her naked. Even if I did, I wasn’t there to get Lizzie in bed. No fucking way. What scared me? She and Dillon weren’t an item. That door was open. Fucking wide open. I didn’t trust myself. I couldn’t risk what would happen if I kissed her. Nor could I risk the rejection if she pushed me away. Yet every muscle in me wanted to taste her sweet lips. I also wanted to comfort her for the loss of her parents. I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her everything would be okay. Like I did when we were kids. It was clear she didn’t want pity. I got that. I hated that emotion myself. But my desire to hold her was far from pity. I wanted to protect her. Yeah, alone with her in this house spelled disaster on all levels.