Page 120 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

KIERA

T here’s a lot of little kids in Andrews Park, running around, screaming their heads off, and having the time of their lives. Normally, scenes like this would make me wistful for the childhood I never had, but today, I’m far too nervous at the idea of seeing Caleb again.

Should have gone home and changed.

I’m still dressed in my uniform. Boring black from head to toe, that’s me.

I’m not really surprised I haven’t seen either Caleb or Nolan in days.

No matter how much Dixie might try to convince me otherwise, the real surprise is that they were ever interested in me.

The parking lot is filled with BMWs and Land Rovers and Audis, and my beat-up Ford could not be more out of place here.

Then I arrive at the soccer fields and see Nolan and a blonde woman handing out Gatorade to a gaggle of kids. The woman’s standing too close to him, her hand on his bicep, smiling up at him, and I want to turn around and disappear.

“Kiera?”

That’s Caleb’s voice. Too late to run. I take a deep, fortifying breath and paste a polite smile on my face.

He’s striding toward me, fast and determined, and my traitorous heart starts to beat faster.

“Hello, Mr. Reeves.” I thrust out the envelope Xavier gave me.

“Mr. Leforte asked me to drop this off.”

He barely gives it a glance. “How’ve you been?” he asks, running his hand through his hair. “Listen, can we talk? I want to apologize for Saturday.”

Nolan’s caught sight of me now, and he’s headed over too. Every nerve ending in my body is attuned to them. I feel myself lean toward Caleb before I catch myself and pull back. “There’s no need for an apology,” I murmur. “I should go.”

He puts his hand on my wrist. It’s a light touch, and the second he realizes what he did, he draws back. “Please?” he asks quietly. “I’m almost done here. Please have a cup of coffee with me.”

We’re drawing attention. People are covertly watching us. A couple of women look put-out. Don’t worry, I want to tell them. I’m not a threat.

Nolan joins us. “Kiera,” he says, his voice low and deep. A shiver runs through me. “Hello. What brings you here?”

“Mr. Leforte wanted me to deliver something.” I turn to Caleb. “Coffee’s not a good idea. I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

“You weren’t the one who made a mistake. I was. I had no right to walk out of Club M in a huff.”

“Neither of us did,” Nolan agrees. “Kiera, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. Nothing we did that night was acceptable behavior. We fucked up. Badly. I’m so very sorry.”

Do they regret everything about that night? I don’t. I had wanted them. I still want them. I just wish that it hadn’t been under false pretenses. I should have been honest with them. “I shouldn’t have…”

My voice trails away as an older woman and a young girl make their way over to us. “Caleb, honey,” the woman says. “Nala and I are going to get ice cream. Do you and Nolan want to join us?” She catches sight of me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was interrupting.”

“Of course, you did.” Caleb gives his mother a look of mingled exasperation and affection. “Nala, you couldn’t keep your grandmother away?”

“I tried,” Nala says cheerfully. “You know grandma.”

“Indeed.” His lips tilt up. “Kiera, I’d like you to meet my mother, Dr. Annette Reeves. And this is my niece, Nala. Mom, this is Kiera O’Leary. And no, I can’t join you for ice-cream. I’m trying to talk Kiera into coffee.”

Annette Reeves shakes my hand, her eyes twinkling.

I study her discreetly. She’s dressed in white slacks and a striped t-shirt, and there’s not a hair out of place.

She looks very WASPy, but the smile she gives me is friendly and welcoming.

And Nala’s biracial, so that’ll teach me to make snap judgments about people.

“Nice to meet you, Kiera. Any second now, Caleb’s going to tell me to go away. ”

“Damn right,” Caleb agrees. “See you later.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I manage before Nala drags Annette Reeves away.

Caleb watches them go, an amused smile on his face, and then turns back to me.

His smile fades. “Sorry about that,” he says.

“My mother is incurably nosy.” He takes a deep breath.

“Thank you for dropping this off. Your sister is constantly surrounded by bodyguards. My team hasn’t had much luck getting her alone, so we haven’t been able to hand her your note, but I promise you, this is my highest priority right now.

I’ll keep you posted.” He runs his hand through his hair again.

“I’m deeply sorry about Saturday night.”

He’s not going to ask me out again. Neither is Nolan. I’ve turned down the offer of coffee, and they’ll respect my decision. I know them well enough to know that.

The ball’s firmly in my court.

“I don’t regret everything about Saturday night,” I whisper.

“You don’t?” A spark of hope lights in Nolan’s eyes.

“No.” Dixie’s voice sounds in my ears. You have the start of something special. What's happening between the three of you, it's like a little seedling. You can decide to crush it to the ground, or you can nurture it. “Is the offer of coffee still open?”

“Absolutely.” Caleb’s voice feels like a caress. “Have you eaten dinner? I was going to put burgers on the grill when I got back home.”

It’s another scorcher of a day. We’ll eat in the backyard. Less than two weeks ago, Caleb went down on me in that same backyard while Nolan watched, and I came harder than I’ve ever come in my life.

Nolan reads my thoughts. His gaze turns heated. “There’s the pool too,” he murmurs. “And it’s a very warm evening.”

I wipe my damp palms on my pants. “There is the pool,” I agree. “Are you proposing a repeat of Friday night?”

Caleb’s eyes rest on mine. “That depends entirely upon you.”

I’m attracted to them. They’re attracted to me. I really like Caleb and Nolan. Feelings are happening. But trust isn’t something that’s built instantaneously. Last time, I jumped into the deep end of the pool, and it bit me in the ass. This time, I want to be more careful.

“I’m game for dinner. The rest… Let’s give it time.”