ROMANCE: Bear Naked Seduction (Billionaire Bear Trio Book 1) (43 page)

Keith took her coffee, put it on the counter, and hugged her close. “Your father is my best friend. He knows me well. He knows me inside and out, and how I deal with my personal relationships. I don’t think he’ll be thrilled, Jan, but when he thinks about it and remembers the guy I am, he’ll come around.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, and he tightened his arms around her. There was no point in saying that he wasn’t entirely sure; it would just stress her out. And Keith was operating on faith and the reality that he had good instincts, not to mention having great taste in friends. Jim and Lisa were level-headed people who just wanted the best for their one and only, and Keith was sure he was the best thing for her.

Once they saw how Jan blossomed in his presence and the way he looked after her, that’d definitely ease their minds. At least he hoped so. There had to be some logic to his thinking; he wasn’t operating purely on faith. He’d known Jim so well.

Though they’d never spoken of Jan’s dating life. That could be problematic, not to mention interesting.

“All ready?” he asked when she screwed the top on her travel mug. He’d noticed she’d dumped in a little sugar and a lot of cream, which was just the way he liked his coffee, too.

“As I’ll ever be,” she told him. Keith took her bags and gave her a gentle hug with his free arm.

“It will be okay. All of it.”

“I’ll try to believe you,” she said, giving him a grim smile. He had to get her out of here and into the shelter of her parents’ home. “Let me carry the coffees.”

“You got it.” He handed her his and followed close behind as she juggled the coffee cups and locked the door, wishing he’d thought to take her keys. “You don’t want to get your car now, do you?” he asked, not bothering to point out that there were probably a throng of reporters waiting outside, ready to pounce at her the moment he drove her over.

“No. That’s okay. I don’t really want to go anywhere near there.”

“Good. Now follow me.” Keith led her down the corridor, checking carefully to make sure there was no action around her parking spot. The garage was empty of people, thank god.

“When we drive out, look away. They won’t be looking too closely, I don’t think. This is probably journalist pro forma.”

“This is so cloak and dagger. I just want to do my job and be with my kids.”

“I know.” Keith had such an urge to pull her into his arms, but he resisted, holding off, holding back, but only for now. When they were in a safe place, a quiet place, he intended to hold her. This bond between them was important to him, and he wanted to be her shoulder.

When they pulled up to her parents’ home, Keith was glad to see there were no reporters around. He hadn’t really thought there  would be, but an injured child did bring out the reporters waiting for their big lead.

“Now or never,” he told her quietly. Jan had been looking out the window, silent on the entire drive.

“I don’t want to do this any more.”

What the hell did that mean? His chest clenched and he had to work hard so that he didn’t fall into a panic.

“You don’t?” he asked, keeping his emotions at bay--but only barely.

“I don’t,” she insisted, her voice soft and quiet, the vulnerability making her seem so much younger. “I don’t want to work for the school any more. I don’t want to do this. I want to be in a place of structure and mutual respect, not a place that puts the safety of the kids second to keeping a lecherous supervisor’s secrets to themselves. That little boy could have been killed, or many more kids could have been hurt. I can’t do this job with any integrity if I keep putting them secondary to my job security. There’s no loyalty there any more, or maybe I just duped myself into thinking there was. I guess it is a comfortable fantasy to imagine people care.”

“I care,” Keith told Jan softly. “I care about your mental and emotional health. I care about the patients I see. I care about you, Jan.”

“You’re a rare guy,” she said softly.

“Not as rare as you might think. I’m just perceptive, maybe.”

“Is that all it is?’ she asked, her voice quavering. “I’m terrified of it all. Not me, exactly, but what will happen to the school, and the kids.”

“Not your responsibility.” Keith knew he had to be firm here or risk that she would take the entire burden on herself. “Everyone makes life choices. His were bad. Your coworkers were just as bad though. Nobody should have let this happen at all. I understand the worries that you had, Jan, but you know just as well as I do that this has to end here, today. Being the whistleblower is no fun, but it is very necessary. Let’s talk to your parents.”

“Let’s,” she agreed too quickly.

Keith got out of the car and joined Jan as they ascended the front steps, the house looking welcoming and warm. Keith hoped it would stay that way for him.

He let Jan rap on the door, and stepped back when Lisa opened it and pulled Jan into a tight hug, mom and daughter rocking. Despite his closeness to the family, this seemed to be an intimate moment that made him feel like an outsider and he looked away, trying to be invisible.

“Keith, come in, honey,” Lisa said. Her normal sunny disposition was gone, her expression grim, her countenance sad. This was her little girl, and she needed to protect her. That was something they had in common.

“Thanks, Lis,” he said, pulling the redhead into his arms. The threads of gray in her hair just gave her a more approachable look. He remembered when Jimmy had first met her, the look of utter astonishment on his buddy’s face when Jim realized he’d found the one. It was a random meeting that had sent them into a passionate love affair, their only child loved and cared for so well. Jan was the heart of them, and it was one of the many reasons Keith had stayed close to the family all this time. Hell, after all this time, they were family, even if not related by blood, or the bonds of…

He gasped, that realization rocketing him back to reality with a snap. Was he seriously considering marrying his best friend’s kid.

“You okay?” Lisa asked and Keith nodded. “Just need more coffee.” They’d drunk theirs on the ride over, so it seemed like a safe enough comment.

“Jimmy is in the kitchen. Get comfortable. Go on ahead, I need a little time with my baby girl.”

“You got it.” Keith strode into the kitchen, trying manfully to ignore the butterflies in his stomach and the panic that kept trying to claw its way out.

“Hey, Jim,” he said in the moment he was engulfed in a bear hug. His friend damn near squeezed the life out of Keith before letting him go and sitting down the table. Keith sank into a seat beside him, squeezing Jim’s arm.

“How is she?”

“Coping. Lisa and she are taking a few minutes together. How are you, James?” He only used his friend’s full first name in very serious circumstances, and this was one of the most serious they’d run across in a long time.

“Pissed,” James muttered, running a hand through his hair. “They’re going to hang her out to dry, aren’t they?”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Keith retorted grimly. “Jim, she did nothing wrong. There’s another situation that cropped up, but it isn’t my story to tell. She’ll have to explain it to you.”

“Okay.” Jim gave Keith a shrewd look. “What was she doing at your place last night?”

“Sleeping,” Keith replied smoothly. Jim locked eyes on Keith and suddenly Keith felt as if he was a specimen being examined under a microscope. Jimmy knew or suspected something.

“Sleeping, huh?” Jim asked, pressing a finger in hard under Keith’s jaw. Keith yelped, slapping his hand over a suddenly throbbing spot. “You get bruises like that from sleeping?”

Shit! Had Jan given him a love bite?

“What are you asking?”

“Did my baby girl do that?” Jim asked, dropping his voice in volume and tone. It was positively intimidating but Keith held his ground.

“If I say yes, are you kicking my ass?”

“Depends.” Jim gave him another level look and Keith barely held back his sigh.

“Not entirely mine to tell, James.”

“If you hurt her, I will destroy you, Keith.”

“Yeah, buddy. I know.”

Jim leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. His laid back posture was anything but, and his gaze was as level as Keith had ever seen. Their standoff was broken only when Lisa and Jan came into the room, and Jimmy stood up, pulling his daughter into his arms. Lisa bustled around, pouring coffee, and soon Jan was seated beside Keith, her hands curving around a mug of steaming coffee. The aroma tickled Keith’s senses, and he scooted closer to Jan, resting an arm over the top of her chair.

“We have some things we need to discuss. Let’s get the good out of the way first, because the bad requires a lot more time and energy.”

“Let’s,” Jim agreed, giving Keith a downright sarcastic smirk.

Keith turned his attention to Lisa, Mama Bear through and through. As much as Jim might kick Keith’s ass if he hurt Jan, Lisa was the one who would pick him apart piece by piece, and put him back together again only to repeat the action. She was much more scary than her husband in these circumstances.

“Lisa, James, you need to know something. Jan and I…” He paused to gather his thoughts. “Last night we…” How could he say this.

“They’re lovers,” Jim cut in, gesturing to the bruise at Keith’s throat. “And, Lisa, before you--”

“You’re what?” Lisa asked, her gaze lasering in on Keith. Forget the microscope. Her gaze was skewering him, as if he was a butterfly put on display. He might not get out of this one alive.

“I’m involved with Jan,” Keith replied, refusing to give in to the urge to look away.

“Involved how?” Lisa asked slowly. Yep, he was that butterfly trembling in death throes.

“Involved as in dating, if that’s what you’d call it. Involved as in…”

“In love, Mom,” Jan said, and Keith’s heart soared before Lisa’s gasp brought him back to the present and his current position. Pins through his wings, writhing on a board.

“And sleeping together,” Jim pointed out and Keith had the distinct impression that his buddy was enjoy this much too much.

Keith sent Jim a death stare of his own, before turning back to Lisa, she of the kill the butterfly look. She was perfectly still, but even though she didn’t move, Keith had the feeling she was ready to strike at a moment’s notice. And it would not go well for him.

“Keith Michael Gordon, if you ever hurt my baby girl, I will--”

Keith put up his hand. “Understood, Lisa. If I hurt her, both of you will make me pay long and hard. I understand. I’d do the same in your shoes. The thing is, this is new. Very new. Like last night new.” He turned to Jan then, addressing her.

“Though I had feelings for Jan for years now, it was never something I allowed myself to dwell on. She’s your daughter and I didn’t want to risk hurting anyone. Yesterday, a lot of things snapped into place, both good and bad, and feelings and emotions finally got addressed. I want to get to know Jan so much better, if she’ll let me. I want us to explore this.”

“Yes,” Jan said quickly, squeezing his hand. “Mom, Dad, he’s right. I have had feelings for him too, but it’s something where you just don’t go there. You just don’t try to hook up with someone who has done a lot for you in life and who you’ve known forever.”

“And why in the hell not?” Jim asked. “Don’t the best relationships consist of friends to lovers? It did for us.” He took Lisa’s hand and squeezed. “So, Gordon, you hurt our daughter, your life is ours and we’ll make your ending painfully messy.” Jim nodded. “Now that we got that out of the way, what the hell happened yesterday, Jan?”

Keith kept scooting closer as Jan explained the situation and where she’d been when the car had hit the little boy. By the time she got to the part where she accompanied little Brody to the hospital, Keith had her in a light embrace. Jim’s eyes kept flickering to the two of them, but he seemed more upset about the situation at the school, and rightly so.

“Why you?” James asked when Jan finally trailed off. “What sets you apart from the rest?”

“I told them I wasn’t going to cover for anyone any more. No more sick days because someone partied to hard the night before. No more pretending to look away when there are people under the influence at work. I rationalized that if he was in the office, he wasn’t a threat to the kids. God, I feel so bad about this.”

She looked at Keith and then at her father. “Did you talk to a lawyer, Dad? What’s the verdict on how screwed I am?”

Jim sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “The thing that I suspect will bother him the most is that you knew there was a drinking problem. There’s no doubt in my mind that the school will be closed, and I have a sinking feeling they may take your license until you do some retraining.” He paused. “Is there anything we need to worry about in your blood work?”

“No.”

“Not even pot? That can be discovered for up to a month. How about poppyseed muffins?”

“Not even pot,” Jan replied firmly. “And I’m not a muffin eater, too many calories. Nothing stronger than a Benadryl. Daddy, I’m in the clear as far as that goes.”

“Are there any witnesses who may have seen you when the accident happened.”

“Some of the older kids,” Jan said, fairly certain that some of the fourth and fifth graders she’d spoken to inside just before the accident would remember.