I stood in front of the mirror and took in my appearance. Sultry, dark eye shadow, pink highlighted cheeks, a peachy mauve gloss that made my lips look juicy and a little wet. My hair was wild but in a way that said daring and sexy, not hoochie and unkempt. I turned from side to side and decided, this was me. He either liked what he saw or not since I had no plans of changing. Not for a man, not for anyone. Something I think my mother would approve of greatly as she lived as the woman she wanted to be, in the short number of years she had.
Taking a full breath, I opened the bathroom door and saw Kyson, ass to a stool in the small kitchen area. He looked distinguished in a pair of dark gray slacks and a pristine white dress shirt open at the collar, which gifted me a good gander at his tanned neck. He was head down, eyes to his phone, when I took a couple steps into the room. Suda Kaye was gone.
I smiled as his head lifted and his gorgeous blue-eyed gaze met mine. My breath caught in my throat, but I swallowed it down, put my hands out to the sides and spun around in a jaunty circle. “Will this do for dinner tonight?”
His gaze turned white-hot. “Come here, Isa.”
Isa.
I closed my eyes. Man, I loved it when he called me Isa in that deep, growly timbre.
When I made it to him, he stood, curved one hand at my neck and one at my hip, then dipped his head. For a mere moment I thought he was going to kiss me and was surprised at my disappointment when he spoke instead.
“You are an out of this world beauty. And honey, you could be wearing a paper sack and I’d still think you were the most stunning woman I’d ever laid my eyes on.”
I gasped and stared deeply into his eyes. I put my hand to his chest. “You’re joking...”
He shook his head. “Not even close. You’ll learn when I’m being funny and when I’m holding on to my restraint with everything I have.”
“Restraint?”
“In not taking your mouth and seeing exactly what the lip gloss tastes like on my tongue. I can smell it and just that is making my mouth water.”
My eyes widened and I lost my ability to speak.
He grinned, leaned forward and pressed the side of his scruffy cheek to mine. I inhaled, smelling the woodsy and earthy cologne that had a hint of citrus to it, and clung to his form as he invaded my space. I shivered as I felt his breath caress my ear. “Never doubt you’re a beautiful woman, Isa. I can tell you every man that sees you walk by will be wishing they were me.”
His cheek rubbed along mine and he laid a soft kiss at the corner of my mouth. I could just move my head and he’d be there, right there. Close enough to kiss. And I wanted to; oh, boy, I wanted to, yet I had to get my hormones under control. Sure, there was an attraction there, but I wasn’t just out for a good time. I’d had Mr. Good Time, more than one of him, in fact. Even though they were fun, they were not what I wanted long-term. Kyson, he had bad boy written all over him, though it was his sweet, forward, unfiltered nature I was attracted to. That and his ridiculous body, pretty eyes and the way he filled out a pair of jeans better than any model I’d seen. He was smokin’ hot.
He grinned smugly as he ran his hand from my neck, to my shoulder and down my arm, until he grasped my hand. “You ready?”
I nodded and reached out and grabbed the small purse that I’d left on the counter.
“I was going to take you to a swanky joint, but I figured you’d been in town only a few days so a pub would be a lot more fun. They have awesome steak, seafood and pasta, too, but it’s a livelier atmosphere. Nothing too stuffy.”
“I’m not a stuffy kind of girl. Lead on. I can find a good time in just about any environment and I’m a chef. You can’t be a chef and be a picky eater. At least that’s what my fathers say.”
“Fathers?”
I took his hand, laughing, and let him lead me out my door, which I locked, and then followed him down the stairs. “I’ll tell you at the restaurant.” We entered Gypsy Soul and saw Suda Kaye at the register, ringing up a customer. “Bye, Suda Kaye.” I waved.
“Bye, sis! Have fun!” she hollered.
When we got outside Kyson opened the passenger door to a white work truck with a big square Turner Brothers Construction logo on the side. The inside of his truck surprisingly smelled and looked clean. Even the floor had vacuum lines as if he’d run it through the car wash.
I smiled. “Did you just clean your car for me?”
He folded into his seat and put his seat belt on. “Yep.” He answered right away, no bullshit. “Didn’t want your outfit to get all dusty. My job is pretty dirty, but this is my primary vehicle. So even though I did clean it for you, it’s something I do regularly.”
His honesty was astounding and welcome.
“Though I thought about picking you up on my bike.”
My eyes widened. “You ride a motorcycle.”
He nodded. “Have for years. Love the open road. It’s something I share with my brothers and my pops. He’s a member of the local motorcycle club. They own a garage in downtown Denver.”
“Are you a member of this club?” I rolled my mind around the word club, trying to remember if motorcycle clubs were more like gangs. I watched Sons of Anarchy for a full season and hoped that was pure fiction because those dudes were scary. Good-looking, but still frightening, and it seemed like they were always getting in trouble with the law.
He shook his head. “Nah. One of my brothers is. Pops is deep in the club. Vice president. My brother Vincent has his eyes on being in that role one day.”
“And you?”
“Honestly, don’t have the time. Between my business and uh, other things, I can’t commit to something that involved. They’re a brotherhood. Most of them work together, ride together, spend a lot of time at the clubhouse carousing and having a good time. They even do a lot of charity work. We’re friendly with each other, but it’s not the same. They are a family of brothers. Would eat, bleed and die for one another.”
“Makes sense. And you said brothers plural?”
He lifted his chin as he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant called Bryant Brews & Grill. “Lincoln and I work together. He owns twenty-five percent of Turner Brothers and is working up to owning fifty.”
“Is he like you?”
He grinned and shook his head. “Actually, no. In looks, a little. Personality, absolutely not.” He pulled into a parking space maneuvering the big, four-door work truck as though it were a small, two-door sports car. “Actually, he’s got a tough personality.”
I tipped my head, unhooked my belt and turned to the side. “How so?”
“Suda Kaye calls him grumpy. And it’s probably good we get this out of the way now, in case there’s an issue. When Suda Kaye had me renovating, there was a little scene where my brother misinterpreted our relationship. Then Cam entered the picture and Lincoln got a little mouthy. Cam fired him from the job and rightfully so.”