“She needed help,” Kat says softly. “I brainstormed with her. Sent her some recipes. Nothing major.”
I laugh. “Okay.” I step closer until we’re nose to nose, and I tilt her head up to kiss her cheek. “I’m calling bullshit, but okay.” Besides, I’ve seen Melissa’s notes. Pages and pages of emails from Kat with recipes and ideas. She even went out and bought supplies to test out ideas before she forwarded them to her best friend. And from what I’ve gathered, one of Kat’s emails is what sent Mel to that business class in Austin where she met my brother, who was there to learn how to run things for our parents.
Dropping my arms to her shoulders, I turn her around to head inside, but I pause when I realize how tense she is.
“You sore, babe?” I ask as I knead her taut muscles.
A little moan escapes her. “Hmm. Maybe.”
Placing a kiss on her neck, I mumble against her skin, “I have a great way to alleviate this tension.”
Because if I’m leaving, I plan to make the most of every moment possible with her.
Starting now.
44
Katherine
Brady strokes over my naked body with confident hands, kneading each and every one of my sore muscles.
“Holy smokes, you give great massages.”
“I thought we’d already established that.” His sexy voice sends goose bumps down my arms.
“Mmm,” I moan when he hits that spot between my shoulder blades.
His jeans scratch my thighs, but I’m enjoying his attention too much to mention it. Besides, I know he’ll be naked soon too.
Smiling into the pillow, it’s hard not to feel carried away when Brady ordered my favorite pizza, fed me, and is now giving me the world’s best massage.
When he kisses my shoulder, my heart flutters in my chest.
“Katherine, can I ask you something?”
I still, wondering why he’s using my full name, which is something he really only says when we’re having sex.
“Sure.”
“The promotion you did for today…” He doesn’t need to finish that statement because I know where this is headed. “Where did you learn that? In your last job?”
I nod, hating that my dream job has become such a source of embarrassment.
He clears his throat. “You don’t want to talk about it.”
I tap his thigh for him to move, and he slides down next to me and props his head up on one arm before he threads his fingers through my hair. I stare at his tattoos, knowing that sharing about myself will make the end of us that much harder. “I don’t mean to be mysterious. It’s just that it’s tied into a lot of things I’m not really proud of.”
He nods, but I can see he’s curious.
Taking a deep sigh, I pull up the covers so I’m not so naked and return my attention to him. “It’s nothing terrible, really. I’m probably being a drama queen. But I’ve always been a really private person. You get used to being at the center of people’s ire when you’re the kid of migrant workers, so I’ve learned it’s better to keep my mouth shut.” I don’t say the rest. What’s on the tip of my tongue. So no one can hurt me.
His lips form a straight line, and I trace the outline of the ouroboros on his chest. “I worked as a public relations specialist for Senator Harrington.” I nibble my bottom lip, hating that I have to say more.
“That’s a big job right out of college,” he observes.
“It helped that I was dating his son, who also worked on the senator’s re-election campaign.” I shake my head. “I mean, that’s not why I was dating him. Eric and I met in college. He asked me out a few times, but I always declined. I finally agreed to go out with him near the end of our senior year. I knew the guy was driven, and he talked about going into politics. I liked that he seemed passionate about making a difference. He introduced me to his father at graduation. Next thing I knew, Senator Harrington was offering me a job.”
His lips twitch, and I say it before he gets the chance to. “Yeah, totally suspicious, right? But what the hell did I know? I was a poor college grad who needed a job, and here was one of the most respected men in the state giving me a great opportunity. Never mind that I’m not even a Republican.”
Brady chuckles, and that hand comes down to rest on my hip as I continue. “But I did follow politics, and I knew at the heart of his campaign was fracking reform. And as you know, I’m passionate about the issue. Which is why, at Eric’s graduation dinner, I might have told the senator his platform was a little flimsy and that if he really wanted to make a difference, he needed to restrict the number of fracking wells in the state.”