Betrayed (6 page)

Chapter Ten

J
ust when Byron
thought he had a clue about who McKenzie Beaumont was, something happened to throw his suspicions into disarray. He didn’t know her at all.

She was a mystery, and hadn’t he decided already that he was going to figure her out, find out what made her tick, and make her pay for meddling in lives she had no business meddling in? Yes, that was exactly what he’d decided, but he couldn’t fathom why all of the sudden he gave a damn about her.

That phone call she’d been on had changed not only her voice but her entire demeanor. Byron knew when someone was scared — and though McKenzie was obviously irritated, she was also afraid. He
would
find out why. He might have believed it was an act except that she hadn’t known he was there. She wasn’t acting for his benefit.

So what was going on in her life?

“Who were you talking to, McKenzie?” Byron had learned long ago to not let his opponents have time to think. If he caught her by surprise, she wouldn’t have time to make up a good lie. He was pretty miffed she’d managed to get away for the twenty minutes between the phone call and coming to his office. It was enough time to build a likely-sounding story, so he needed to be quick on his feet now.

“It was no one you’d know.”

“Hmm. Try me. I know a lot of people.”

“Trust me, Byron; you don’t know this person,” she said.

“Whoever it was seems to be wanting something you’re not willing to give,” he said, and by the widening of her eyes, he could see she’d hoped he hadn’t heard the entire conversation — her half, anyway. But it was too bad for her.

Byron didn’t want his opinion of McKenzie to change. He wanted to think of her as cold, calculated, and interested only in herself, but he couldn’t help but notice the frightened look in her eyes, or the way she was so carefully holding herself together. But he found himself wanting to be her Knight in shining armor, or an Armani suit, ready to rescue her from whatever dragon had been on the other end of her phone line.

“I’m here to do a job, Byron, and it’s a job that could be handled by any number of people I know. But I’m still here, and I’m doing this job well. If I take a call, that call is none of your business,” she said, her eyes connecting with his and showing him that she certainly had some steel in her character.

Byron’s pulse started to speed up. He shouldn’t feel anything like rage now. Nothing this woman did should upset him, but he was so frustrated with himself and with her that he found himself wanting to grab her, shake her, and get past that icy composure she inevitably reverted to.

Instead of doing any of that, he fired off more words in a voice that was, if possible, icier. “You should be grateful you are working here, and for what I can do for your new company’s reputation.”

“I
am
grateful, but my
personal
business is still none of
your
business.”

“When your personal life spills over into the working environment, it becomes my business,” he told her. “Definitely my business.”

Her eyes narrowed as they remained in a silent deadlock, both of them refusing to back down. Then he saw the telltale slumping of her shoulders, and he knew he’d gained a minor advantage over her.

“You are right, of course. I’ll make sure to keep my phone put away while working.”

Though she’d said the words, she clearly didn’t mean them. There was something going on in her life that she had zero control over, and if it was the last thing he did, he’d find out what it was. But short of shaking the information from her, he didn’t know how in the hell he was going to get her to speak.

He should just leave it alone and let her deal with her own messes. Whatever had happened, she surely had brought it on herself.

But words slipped from his mouth. “I can help you with whatever is going on.” Sheesh! That hadn’t been what he’d meant to say at all.

“There is nothing going on. I don’t need your help.”

McKenzie had spoken between clenched teeth, and he watched as her fingers closed into fists as she tried desperately to regain her cool and her composure.

Byron never — absolutely never — offered to help anyone, particularly a woman, and to have that offer thrown back at him so haughtily infuriated him. But they said nothing else for several moments; they were spending the time staring daggers at one another.

“Dammit, McKenzie! This is ridiculous,” he huffed, ticked that she was making him back down.

“I won’t say it again, so listen up this time. I don’t need any help from you, Mr. Knight.”

And for just a moment, he thought he saw a slight sheen spread over her eyes, but it was gone so quickly that he was sure that he must have imagined it.

Distance wasn’t doing the trick, so with his will to stay away from her gone, he began moving across the room, drawing closer to her. He had to give her points for not retreating. He saw the new look in her eyes, saw that she wanted to turn and run, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t allow her to do that.

“I heard your end of the conversation, McKenzie. You
do
need my help.” He stopped right in front of her, forcing her head to tilt up so she could continue looking at him.

It might have been the wrong move for him, because now her subtle scent was drifting over him, her warm breath brushing his throat, her body heat practically burning him. This woman was certainly casting a spell over him, and he had a feeling the spell wouldn’t be broken until he captured her lips, captured her body, and purged her from his system. Especially after his incredibly vivid dream the day before — he’d woken up from it hungry and wanting and in the worst of moods.

“Even if I did need help, I wouldn’t ask for it,” she said. Her tone held only a trace of vulnerability, but just that small measure of helplessness made him want more than ever to pull her into his embrace.

When her helplessness evaporated and in its place a taunting smile filled her lips, the small strand of elastic that was holding up his will to resist her snapped. Snaking his arms around her back, he drew her to him and at long last kissed her again.

When she melted against him, he pulled back. “You can’t stop me from doing what I want,” he said. What did that mean? Was he speaking about helping her or bedding her? Maybe both.

And his lips claimed hers again, preventing her from hitting him with a comeback. He’d expected her to fight him, expected her to protest, but she didn’t lie to either of them, didn’t put up a front. Instead, her hands came up to rest on his arms as she opened her sweet mouth to him and he thrust his tongue inside, claiming her in a way he’d been dreaming of doing since that first kiss five months earlier. And even more so now, since his dream.

A sigh escaped her mouth, but he caught it. His blood raged as his fingers dipped over the curve of her derrière and he tugged her hips against his pulsing erection. He wanted there to be no doubts at all in her mind about what she was doing to him. He hadn’t had sex in a long, long time, and it was showing.

Yes, they would be incredible together. Still, as much as he needed a woman, this woman wasn’t the one he should feel any desire for. He should just be playing a game with her, not giving her power over him.

Anger at her — at him…hell, he didn’t know — gave him the strength to break contact. He took a step back, then another, just to force himself not to drag her into his arms again.

Power.

This woman had it in spades. He didn’t know whether she truly comprehended her power or not. She was beautiful, sensual, and the most fascinating woman he’d ever met, and yet there was something behind her eyes, something that scared him. But it beckoned to him, too.

“Some things just shouldn’t happen,” he drawled.

“I fully agree,” she said, her lips slightly trembling.

Finally, a smile spread over his lips. He was rethinking everything. “The kiss wasn’t what I meant shouldn’t have happened, McKenzie,” he whispered as he moved across the room and leaned against his desk. He was enjoying her obvious confusion.

Yes, the only way to exorcise this female demon was to deal with the sexual tension. They were consenting adults, and they both wanted this. So why not see it through? He’d been tempted long enough with those thoughts.

“I don’t understand you,” she said, and she took the smallest step backward, a sign of fear and weakness. She seemed to notice the gesture, and she stopped, her shoulders firming once again, her eyes narrowing.

“There’s something going on here, and it’s not going away. The logical conclusion is to relieve the ache.” His tone and his eyes revealed nothing — he was very careful about that.

“Is this what you mean, Byron? Should we just climb on your desk and screw like bunnies?”

“A little crude, McKenzie, but that could be arranged. Still, I’d prefer to be outside the family headquarters when I…never mind.” If he hadn’t been rock hard before, he was now as he pictured doing what he’d stopped short of telling her.

“So what if we consider each other desirable? So what if you turn me on…on occasion? I still think you’re an asshole. Just because my body might say I want you doesn’t mean the rest of me will go along.”

He wasn’t fooled. “I
will
enjoy taming you, McKenzie,” he said.

She was silent for a moment before she raised her hand to her hip and looked around the room. “How long do you need, Byron? Five minutes? Ten? Surely not more than that. With you acting like a hormonal teenager, I’m sure if I just bend over your desk, you could be done before the second hand reaches one minute.”

Her spate of words only intrigued him more. She was obviously used to getting her way, used to dominating men and making them pant at her feet. That went along with her territory. She played football, so to speak, so she must use offense as a quick defense to get out of tight situations.
Tight.

She’d never dealt with him before.

“That’s a start,” he told her. “But I’d need a lot more time, Trust me on that. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘the best sex you ever had’? I’ll be that and more. I guarantee it.”

She took a deep breath, and then her eyes glazed over, shutting him out. He knew they were done with this for now.

“I will gather all the reports you needed,” she said, and she turned to walk away.

Before he realized what he was doing, he stepped away from behind his desk and caught her in the doorway. He rested his hand on her shoulder and skimmed his lips lightly across her neck.

“This will happen,” he murmured.

A shudder passed through her, and she walked out of his office.

Byron sat back down, his pants way too tight, his erection throbbing. And yet he still felt satisfied somehow. He couldn’t wait for the next round of this epic fight between the two of them.

It was a few minutes later when he realized she’d managed to distract him from finding out what her phone call had been about. Dammit! But he’d let her try to keep her little secret from him for now. In the end he would learn exactly what was going on, and whether she wanted him to or not, he would help.

Only because he needed her to do her job, he assured himself — not because he actually gave a flying…fig about the woman. That lie hung in his brain while he got back to work, but he allowed it to remain there, because that’s how he excused himself for his erratic behavior.

Chapter Eleven

A
fter finishing up
the last of her work for the day, McKenzie tried to hurry. It was nearing six-thirty and she had a dinner date with Jewell that she didn’t want to miss. It was the best part of her week lately. She stood up, collected her coat and purse, then wavered on whether she should tell Byron she was leaving. She was well past quitting time, so she didn’t need to ask permission, but as only the two of them were left on this floor, it would be polite to let him know she was heading out.

The choice was taken from her when he stepped through the open doorway, his coat hanging from his fingers. They hadn’t spoken since the kiss — the second one — not even to go over the Boise papers. She found herself…nervous. It was a strange sensation.

“It’s late and I’m starved,” he said, blocking her only exit. “Why don’t we get something to eat and finish the discussion we began earlier?”

There was no way she was going to get back into that discussion. They would fight, he would kiss her, she would fall into his bed. She wasn’t a stupid woman, and she pretty much knew the way this was all going to end if she weren’t very, very careful with what she did and said around this man over the next few weeks.

“We finished that discussion,” she told him as sweetly as possible.

“No, not to my satisfaction,” he countered, and he didn’t budge an inch from the doorway.

“Sorry, boss.” She had to remind him of his position and hers before continuing. “I have dinner plans. Maybe some other time.” She scooted a few steps toward the door, hoping he would move out of the way.

He didn’t.

“What are your plans?” His voice didn’t change, but something in his eyes did, and if she were a stupid woman, she might have thought he was jealous. But that was just absurd. He might want to bed her, but he had no feelings for her — no good ones, anyway — and certainly didn’t feel anything strong enough to cause him jealousy.

Still, she didn’t want to push him — not with the way he’d been acting around her. And not with the weakness she seemed to suffer from when in his presence. She’d surely lose any major fight they got into.

“I’m going out with Jewell,” she told him, and the sharp look in his eyes faded. Hmm. Interesting.

“Where’s Blake?” he asked, though she was sure he knew. Then again, maybe he didn’t.

“This is a ritual for us. At least twice a month we meet up, unless a natural disaster occurs. So Blake uses it as an excuse to have a boys’ night, or do whatever it is that men do when their wives aren’t home,” she said.

“A boys’ night?” he said before his lips turned up. “Please tell me what a boys’ night consists of.”

“I don’t know. I just…I just said something. I have no idea what he does when we have our dinners. I just know that he doesn’t complain about it, because he’s not over-the-top possessive.” She
really
wanted to get around him and go to dinner.

“Invite me to join you.”

“What?” Had she heard him correctly?

“It’s rude to make someone repeat themselves, McKenzie.”

“You’re calling
me
rude?” she gasped. “You just tried to invite yourself along to a girls’ night. You are probably the most insanely rude person I’ve ever met?”

“I didn’t call you rude; I said it
was
rude to make someone say something more than once, which you’re making me do again.”

“Ugh.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “I’m leaving now.” She finally braved walking up to him and brushing past. He stepped back and their gazes collided as she moved around him.

A shiver racked her body as she turned away and began walking toward the elevators. His devilish eyes, rock-solid body, and kiss-me lips had her stomach churning, and it would be disastrous for her to remain in his presence for too long. So why was she suddenly feeling guilty that she hadn’t caved in and invited him to dinner? It was ridiculous.

She had absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. He’d gone beyond rude when he asked her to bring him to dinner with her girlfriend. But she couldn’t shake from her mind the millisecond when it had looked like disappointment was clouding his eyes.

He wasn’t really disappointed. He just wanted to interrogate her — that was all. If Byron wanted a dinner companion, he could open up his little black book and find a thousand people to go out with him. Heck, a thousand was a gross understatement. A man like him had to have a million dates on call.

So when she found herself turning around and moving back toward his office, she wanted to slap herself. What in the world was wrong with her? She’d made a clean escape. All she’d had to do was to hit the down button on the elevator and then be free of Byron for the rest of the night.

Instead, she found herself in his doorway, and she was for once the one to look in on
him
without
his
knowledge. He was leaning back in his chair, and for one brief moment he looked so vulnerable to her, so different from the hard man he always presented himself as, that she couldn’t stop herself from saying words she didn’t want to say.

“Would you like to come to dinner, Byron?”

He seemed startled as he turned her way, and just like that, any traces of vulnerability disappeared. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said, standing and picking up his coat.

Grrr. Yes, she was a fool. Why in the world had she locked herself into a social setting with this man? Obviously she’d just done exactly what he wanted her to do. When they stepped into the elevator, a space that was always sufficiently roomy when she was traveling up and down it with anyone other than Byron Knight, she felt claustrophobic.

After only a couple of weeks of working by this man’s side, he was messing with her head in a way that she’d never allowed a man to mess with her — not even Nathan, who was the scum of the earth. She could blame what had happened with Nathan on her youth and inexperience. What in the world could she blame her erratic feelings for Byron on? Nothing came to mind.

Just when she thought the silence couldn’t get any louder, Byron spoke, waking her up out of her reverie, and she focused on the steel doors in front of her. “I’m going to the Boise offices next week. I need you to be there.”

Every instinct in her body told her she had to get out of this. “I already gave you all the information you would need for this trip. My presence isn’t necessary.” There. That had come out without emotion. She was good.

“You can’t read faces through a picture, McKenzie. You’re the one who has narrowed this down to a few individuals. Now, we need to finish it and get the Boise offices running the way they should be.”

That had almost sounded professional, all business and nothing more. She might have bought into that if it weren’t for the earth-shattering kiss the two of them had shared — and, of course, his confidence that she would end up in his bed.

“Honestly, Byron, I don’t think I’d do anything other than slow you down. I’m great with numbers, but not so great with people,” she said, though it was a lie. She could read people well, which is why Relinquish Control had been successful.

“I think you’re being too modest. I won’t force you to go, but I will let you know that if we can solve this matter quickly, it would look much better for our company…and, of course, the reputation of yours.”

Ohhh, that was a low blow. Her job performance had been flawless up till this point. She wanted to question him, find out what he meant by that statement, but she also already knew. Or did she? The Knight brothers were always honest, even this one.

So, when she found herself nodding at him, agreeing to go with him, she began to wonder about her own motives. Did she want to be alone with him? “Okay, I will accompany you. It’s only a day trip, correct?”

The elevator doors opened and he placed his hand against the door while she walked out. Then he followed her. “If all goes well, McKenzie, we can be in and out of the offices in a few hours,” he said.

That hadn’t been what she’d asked him, but when he put his hand on her shoulder as they exited the building, McKenzie forgot all about what she’d been planning to ask him next.

Never before had a man had the ability to silence her when she wanted to speak — not without drugging her first — but, with Byron, she seemed to be in a constant daze. This so wasn’t where she wanted to be. Not where she wanted to be at all.

If she didn’t pull herself together, and soon, she’d be in deep trouble while working and playing games with Mr. Byron Knight.