Sunlight streamed through a window, waking Linc. With a groan, he rolled over and nearly fell off what he quickly realized was a couch. Opening his eyes slowly, he took in his surroundings. Jordan’s living room, he thought, and the events of last night came back to him in too vivid detail considering how shitty he felt after overindulging—talking to Xander about their newfound sister, drinking too much, and ending up here.
Not a surprise. Jordan would always take care of him, and she had, as helping him undress and covering him with a blanket so he could sleep had proved.
He was grateful to have her in his life.
Kiss me, Jordan.His words came back to him, floating through his brain. He closed his eyes and recalled gripping the back of her head, pulling her toward him, and kissing her.
He let out a groan. This was why he didn’t like to drink. Any loss of control unnerved him, and last night it’d led him to break his most meaningful vow. But the taste of her had been sheer heaven. And despite his drunken state, he remembered how right she’d felt on top of him, her feminine curves pressing into his harder body, and her sensual scent surrounding him.
He lowered his hand and pushed his palm against his aching cock. No way would he embarrass her this morning. Not when he had to apologize for his behavior last night. The last thing he wanted was to lose the woman he leaned on in so many ways.
He pushed himself to his feet and looked around for his shirt. Not finding it, he folded the blanket and set it on the couch before hitting the bathroom. He took care of business, washed up, rummaged through her cabinets, and even found a new toothbrush to use.
From there, he headed to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee in her Keurig, and when he heard the sound of her walking to the bathroom, he prepared a mug for her, too. He added some almond milk and sugar the way she liked it and waited.
After a few minutes, she joined him in the kitchen. His gaze fell to her soft cotton sweats and a tank top in a buttery yellow. The material clung to her curves, the outline of her breasts and her perky nipples a sight he forced himself to look away from. For safety’s sake, he turned toward the counter to hide the evidence of his thickening arousal.
“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked over a yawn.
“Not too bad. I borrowed a toothbrush.” He picked up the coffee he’d made and turned to hand it to her.
“You mean you took a toothbrush. No such thing as borrowing one,” she said, her gaze not meeting his.
Shit.
She accepted the mug and breathed in the smell. “Mmm. Thank you.”
“It was the least I could do. Want to sit?” He tipped his head toward the small kitchen table nearby.
She nodded and walked ahead of him, giving him a different view, this one of her ass jiggling in the sweats. He tipped his head and prayed for strength, then joined her at the table, pulling out a chair and straddling it so he could face her. Even makeup free, she was beautiful.
“Last night you wanted to discuss what to do with the news about your sister,” she said, both hands wrapped around the mug as she took a sip. “I suggested we wait until this morning when you were more coherent. Do you want to talk it through now?”
He knew she was directing the conversation so they didn’t have to discuss them. He placed his cup on the table and forced himself to look at her. “About last night. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
The more he replayed the moment, the more he felt like the man he despised and had promised himself he’d never be like. How many women had his father pushed himself on? Women who worked for him and deserved respect?
She hesitated before answering. “You were drunk and I wasn’t. I shouldn’t have let things happen between us.”
He shook his head, refusing to allow her to shoulder the blame. “I started it and I’m sorry.” Sorry he’d put her in an uncomfortable position. But he couldn’t regret the kiss, because now he had the memory of it to hold on to.
“Don’t give it another thought,” she said tightly.
He couldn’t read her expression, wondered if he’d somehow hurt her feelings, and searched for something to say to ease things between them.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I can make an omelet?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.” His stomach wasn’t ready for food. “But thanks.”
“So … about your sister,” she began.
As subject changes went, it was the right one, and he drew a deep breath. “I want to meet her.” He made the sudden decision. “In fact, I want to talk to Xander, Dash, and Chloe, and then I want to give her the inheritance she deserves. And if she agrees, I want to bring her home with me.”
Jordan blinked, obviously surprised. “I thought you were worried that, by meeting you and seeing everything you have, Aurora would discover and resent everything she’d missed out on growing up.”
“I was. I am. But I have the power to change the rest of her life for the better, and I intend to.”
A slow smile lifted Jordan’s lips. “That’s the Linc I know. Okay, so what’s the plan?” she asked.
“We’re going to Florida to meet my sister.”
“We?” she asked, her voice rising.
He nodded. “You always have my back and I have yours. And this isn’t something I want to face alone.”
She cupped her hands around the coffee mug again, lifted it, and took a sip, obviously stalling while she thought about his request. “What about taking Chloe? You know she’s upset and would want to come with you.”
Considering he had no idea how Aurora would treat them, he didn’t want to put his sister in an awkward position until he was sure of their welcome. “I want to protect Chloe. Once we know how Aurora feels about us, I’ll let them meet.”
Jordan’s expression softened but she didn’t reply immediately.
“Are you really going to make me beg?” he asked in a teasing voice he knew would get to her. “Because I will. I want you by my side when I meet my new sister.”
She rose from her seat. “Are you finished with the coffee?”
He nodded and she scooped up the mug.
“How long are we going for?” she asked, and he released the breath he’d been holding. At least she wasn’t going to let his actions last night get between them going forward.
“For as long as it takes to convince Aurora she has family who want her.” He paused. “Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“You’re really coming?”
Her gaze locked with his. “Have I ever not been there when you need me?”
“No. You’re my rock.” Though he’d been given a taste of her, he still wasn’t about to lose her or screw up their relationship by mixing sex into the equation. No matter how much he wished he could.
* * *
After leaving Jordan’s,Linc headed home to shower and clean up before going to see his mother. Since there’d been no way to adequately prepare her for the news about his father’s bastard daughter, he’d just called and told her he wanted to come for a visit. His mom lived an hour from the city on what his father had liked to call the Kingston Estate, a pompous way of describing the family home in Brookeville, set on four acres of land.
Of course, his dad had kept an apartment in the city he’d used as a place to sleep when he worked late or, as Linc presumed, a way to sleep with his mistresses without his wife finding out. Wanting nothing to do with his father’s illicit love nest, Linc had put the apartment on the market within a week of the man’s death.
As he neared the exit on the highway, his phone rang, and he took the call on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Hi,” his sister Chloe said.
“Hey. How are you?” Although she worked with him, doing the decorating and staging of the model apartments in the buildings they bought and rented out, he didn’t think she was calling to talk about business.
A heavy sigh echoed across the line. “I’m okay, I guess. Still processing,” she said.
“Aren’t we all?” Memories of how he’d shown up at Jordan’s drunk last night came back to him, not that they were ever far from his mind this morning.
The exit came into view and he flipped on the signal.
“Where are you?” Chloe asked.
“Going to break the news to Mom,” he said, turning off the exit.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have gone with you.” Chloe sounded put out.
He gripped the leather steering wheel of his Range Rover. “Because it’s going to be upsetting and I thought I’d spare you.”
A frustrated sound came through the speaker. “Linc! You don’t need to protect me! I’m a grown woman. I’m getting married soon, remember?”
He winced. He didn’t need the reminder of her engagement to the asshole she’d been dating. There was something he disliked about the man. Everything, really. Not to mention, a guy who couldn’t give another male a strong handshake was weak, and his sister deserved better.
At thirty-two, Linc was the oldest of the siblings. Then came Xander at twenty-nine, Dash at twenty-seven, and Chloe, the youngest, was twenty-five. Despite his parents’ fractured marriage and his father’s behavior, clearly they’d had no problem in one area of their lives. Something Linc did not want to think about.
But because of Kenneth’s disinterest in the children he’d sired, Linc had always felt like it was his job to look after his siblings.
He shifted his attention back to his sister. “You were upset about the news, and I didn’t think you needed to see Mom’s reaction. Are we still on for tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. I’ll see you at eight,” she said.
He’d asked Chloe, Dash, and Xander to meet him at his apartment to discuss Aurora and her place in the family. Dash would go along with whatever they wanted. Their rock star brother was always chill, and Linc didn’t sense he’d get an argument from Xander. Chloe definitely wouldn’t mind making sure their new sister was provided for.
His phone beeped, indicating another call was on the line. “Gotta take this, Chloe. See you later.” He disconnected and switched over, talking to a business associate for the rest of the ride to his mother’s.
He had a huge deal pending to buy property on Central Park South and develop an exclusive collection of tower condominium residences he hoped would be one of the most exclusive in the city. The project was Linc’s pride and joy, and nothing would stand in the way.
The accountants were going over the properties his father had been involved with, and Linc expected a summary soon. His old man had always been a wild card, doing his own thing and not giving Linc a heads-up on his plans. As a result, the man’s death had left Linc with a lot of unknowns and dangling projects he needed to consolidate. His plan was to place Kenneth’s deals under Linc’s umbrella. Once he had a grasp on everything, then he could assign deals to their managing directors.
He pulled up to the house and stopped the car in front of the gate, punching the code into the keypad. The large metal enclosure opened slowly, an annoyance, as always. But with his mother alone in the house but for the help, Linc appreciated the security the gate provided.
He pulled around the circular drive, parking in front. Then, steeling himself, he climbed out of the SUV and strode to the front door.
To his surprise, his mother answered in person instead of her latest housekeeper. Her dark hair pulled back with a clip on one side, her face made up as always, she looked well. Although she was mourning her husband’s death, they hadn’t been close nor had they slept in the same bedroom for years. Linc doubted she was truly devastated over his sudden death.
“Linc!” She pulled him into a hug, the scent of her familiar perfume washing over him.
“Hi, Mom.” He stepped back and walked inside.
She shut the door behind him and, once in the marble-floored entryway, waited for her to direct him to whichever room she wanted to go.
“Let’s sit in the study,” she said. “Come.” She led him to the room comprised of floor-to-ceiling dark wood bookshelves, a ladder against one wall for show, although he supposed the housekeeper did have to climb it in order to dust the volumes of books.
His mother sat on the delicate sofa with a dark floral pattern, and he settled in beside her.
“So what brings you by? I love to see you, but I could tell from your tone of voice you have something on your mind.”
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I do. But before I forget to tell you, I’m going out of town tomorrow. If you need anything, Xander and Chloe are here.”
“Oh? Business?” she asked.
“No. It’s personal.” Dammit, this was hard. Harder than he’d thought it would be. He decided to lay things out the way he’d discovered them.
“I was going through Dad’s papers and found checks he’d written monthly for the last nineteen years.”
Her gaze flew to his. “Go on.”
There was no good way to say it. “Dad had a child with a woman named Tiffany Michaels.”
She gasped and raised her hands to cover her open mouth. “She was his secretary,” his mother said at last, lowering her hand. “Okay, okay. I can handle this. I shouldn’t be surprised, after all. I knew he was having affairs.” She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“There’s more,” Linc said. “So I’m just going to tell you. Dad sent money to Tiffany, but a few years after she had the baby, she gave the child to her mother to raise. Unfortunately, her mother passed away, and the little girl ended up in foster care.”
Silence followed his pronouncement, so he continued. “She’s in Florida. Miami Beach, to be exact, and I’m going to meet her.”
His mother twisted her hands in her lap. “Foster care. Did your father know?”
“According to the private investigator who tracked down her mother, he did.” As always, nausea filled him at the thought.
“And they both left her there?” she asked, horrified.
He nodded, glad his mother was upset on Aurora’s behalf.
She pressed her hands on her thighs and rose to her feet. “That’s awful. Is she okay? The girl?”
“Her name is Aurora,” he said. “And I don’t know. I instructed the PI not to talk to her directly. I needed to think about how to handle things before doing something rash.”
“Like going to meet her?” His mother, who’d been pacing, turned to face him. “You’re planning on meeting with a young girl you know nothing about. What if she finds out she’s from a wealthy family and decides she wants something from you?”
Linc stood to face his mother. “Well, I already considered the possibility, and I plan to preempt her asking by giving her what she deserves.”
She gasped. “You can’t! You don’t know this girl!”
“I know she’s my half-sister. I know because Dad would never have paid monthly to keep her a secret if otherwise. I also know she grew up in a completely tragic way considering her father had enough money to take care of her. And even when he discovered she’d never seen a dime and had been in the system, he didn’t give a damn. Someone in this family has to make up for what Dad did, and I intend to be the person who helps her.”
His mother folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “You’re right. I just…” She shook her head. “I know he was your father, but I hate that bastard.”
Stepping close, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her against him. “I know. And for good reason. But are you going to punish a young girl for his transgressions?”
He knew his mother better than she knew herself. Her initial response had been in frustrated anger at her late husband. Not Aurora.
“So you’re okay with all this? Because I’m talking to Xander, Dash, and Chloe tonight and leaving first thing in the morning.”
She nodded and stepped away, straightening her shoulders. “I agree. You’re a good man and I’m proud of you, Linc.” She touched his cheek with her hand. “Call me and let me know how it goes.”
“I will, Mom. Thanks.” He let out a relieved breath. He wasn’t worried about his siblings, especially since their mother was now on board with him bringing Aurora home and making sure she had the money she needed to start the life she should always have had.
He said goodbye and settled back in his car, pulling out his phone, which had buzzed in his pocket a few times while he was with his mother.
Texts were waiting for him.
Jordan:Private plane booked. Flight plan filed. Takeoff at seven a.m.
Jordan:Sanctuary Suite booked at W Hotel in South Beach. I still think it’s unnecessary. Scale down and I’ll stay in a regular room.
Jordan:I booked us for a week. Can always extend.
Jordan:Rental car taken care of as well.
He grinned at her professional perfection and typed back.
Linc:Check on the plane. No dice on scaling down. You’ll stay in the suite’s extra room. My driver will pick you up for the ride to the airport. Don’t mention the words Uber or taxi.
Jordan:Fine.
Linc:That’s no way to talk to your boss.
Jordan:No, but it’s how I talk to my best friend. Later. I have work to do.
With a smile still on his face, he headed back to the office to go over paperwork on the Central Park deal.
* * *
Jordan packed abag, not worrying about stuffing everything in a carry-on. If Linc was going to take the corporate jet, she could bring a big bag if she wanted to. Though she’d been with Linc on the plane before when they traveled for business, she’d never gotten used to the luxury.
She zipped her suitcase and set it by the front door, then she grabbed her favorite blazer and slipped it on. Her cell rang, the screen flashing the concierge number downstairs. She picked up and asked the morning person manning the desk to tell Linc’s driver she’d be right down.
She locked up her apartment and headed downstairs to find the driver standing by the open car door.
“Hi, Max,” she said.
“Good morning, Ms. Greene.” He inclined his head, his silvery gray hair slicked back with gel. He’d been working for the Kingston family for as long as she could remember. “Nice day for a flight,” he said.
The sun shone above them and clear skies meant no turbulence. “Yes, and I’m grateful.”
He took the handle to her luggage and walked around the back of the town car to put the suitcase in the trunk as she climbed into the back seat, where Linc waited. In no time, Max had settled in the front, and they were off to the airport.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Linc faced her, eyes covered in aviators that only added to his sex appeal.
Since their kiss, she couldn’t deny her attraction to him was stronger than ever. “Good morning.”
She took in his white dress shirt, standard wear for him, but today his sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. Thanks to a dedicated workout schedule, he was well-built and solid.
And the scent of his woodsy cologne? Oh, she liked how good he smelled. In fact, she wanted to bury her face in his neck and savor him up close and personal. Again.
She swallowed hard and ignored her body’s reaction, happy her light blazer covered her now perky nipples.
“I’m dying for a cup of coffee,” she said, smiling as if everything were normal. Before she’d kissed him, she’d put these thoughts so far into the back of her mind they hadn’t impacted her daily.
Now though, every time she saw Linc, something about him turned her on.
“We can get some coffee on the plane.”
Coffee. Right. She forced her mind back to the mundane and nodded. “I would have had a cup this morning, but I was running late.”
“That’s not like you,” he said, looking at her with concern in his eyes.
She shrugged. “I didn’t know what to pack.”
Because she was staying in the suite with Linc. First she went back and forth over what nightclothes to put in the suitcase, and then she couldn’t decide if she needed a nice dress. Were they going anywhere, or did he plan to hang out with his sister? In the end, Jordan had packed everything she could think of.
He chuckled. “Now you sound like Chloe.”
“Are you saying indecision is a female thing?” she challenged him, because she was hungry, uncaffeinated, and irritated with herself for the sudden attraction she felt for her best friend.
He held up his hands. “Whoa. I’m kidding.”
“Sorry. I think I just need a nap on the plane.” She was about to lean back and close her eyes when her cell rang. A glance at the screen showed Mom, and she let out a groan.
“Something wrong?” Linc glanced over as she sent the call to voicemail.
“No, it’s my mother and I don’t want to take the call.” She stuffed her phone back into her purse.
He raised an eyebrow and then it obviously dawned on him. “She’s not happy we’re going out of town together,” he guessed.
Jordan sighed. “That would be an understatement.” Although she and her mom had a great relationship, the one thing they disagreed about was her relationship with Linc.
“And she hates our close friendship.”
“Also an understatement,” she muttered.
“And your father? How does he feel about our friendship?” Linc asked.
She sighed. “At least he doesn’t concern himself with things that aren’t his business. To him, I have a great job and a good life, and those things make him happy.”
Her dad, Patrick, was an electrician who’d worked for the same company for years until he opened his own business. He had job security and he was happy. He let his wife ramble about her feelings, but he didn’t take sides.
“As for my mother, don’t get me wrong, she thinks you’re a great guy. She also thinks about things like station in life.” With a shrug, she said, “Me working for you makes sense to her. Our friendship? Not so much.”
He winced. “God, she reminds me of my father. At least in how she thinks money defines people. But it only matters what we think. And I know you’re good for me.”
Reaching out, he grasped her hand and held it tight, something he often did. Touching her hand, her back. All things she’d never allowed herself to notice before.
She smiled at him. “You’re good for me, too. Now let’s not discuss our parents’ old-fashioned views.” Even if they made some sense to her, too. “Let’s talk about your plans for once we arrive in Florida.”
He began tapping his foot against the floor of the car. “I want to go to the offices of Dare Nation.” Before she could ask about the office or why he’d want to go there, he explained.
“When I first found out about the paychecks, I hired a PI. He found Tiffany Michaels, the woman my father had been paying. She told him her daughter had gone to foster care after her mother died. Tiffany didn’t know anything more,” he said, his disgust obvious in his tone. “And after Aurora aged out of the system, any record of her disappeared. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, they got a hit on her name, a paycheck she cashed working for a place called Dare Nation.”
While he’d been talking, Jordan Googled Dare Nation on her phone. “A sports agency?”
Linc nodded. “Owned and run by Austin Prescott. He used to be a pro football player. I had the PI do some digging, and it turns out Aurora has been staying with a woman who is close to another Prescott brother and the rest of the family. So if I want to find out about my sister, I need to start with Austin Prescott, Aurora’s boss.”
Jordan nodded in understanding.
“I made an appointment to see him. I don’t want to spring myself on Aurora, so I’ll start with Prescott and see what he can tell me about my sister.”
The car stopped at a gate for Max to talk to a security guard. Linc handed over his ID and Jordan did the same, a necessity at Teterboro, the main private jet airport for New York City. The airport itself was located in New Jersey.
“We’ve arrived,” Max said as the car came to a stop in front of the main building.
“Thank you.” Linc climbed out of the car and helped her out as Max pulled their luggage from the trunk.
They checked in at the desk inside and headed immediately out to the tarmac to board their jet.
Jordan didn’t know what awaited Linc when they reached Florida, but she was glad to be by his side when he found out.
