The Bad Billionaire's Seven Kiss Negotiation

Chapter 6

Caris pulled her car into the visitor parking space Killian had instructed her to occupy and sighed wondering what she was doing. For the last two days, she had Killian had texted and chatted on the phone, flirting, and acting like two people who had just met and were getting to know each other instead of two people who had barely tolerated one another for nearly twenty years.

She admitted he was quieter, and his flirting was not nearly as intense as some other men who had chased her, but he was making every effort to let her know he found her attractive. He had told her she didn’t need to change after work but if she wanted to, not to get too dressed up. It was a quiet dinner at his home, and it would be relaxed. She had brought a change of clothes to work and as she exited her car in her favorite jeans and champagne colored silk blouse, she made her way to the elevator Killian had directed her to.

He had promised he’d meet her there and as if on cue, the elevator doors opened and he was there with a wide smile, his dimples deep in his cheeks. “You look gorgeous.”

She smiled, “Thank you.”

He kissed her cheek as she stepped into the elevator, and she felt again the pang in her stomach at the reserved way he was treating her. It wasn’t she expected him to be handsy and all over her, but since his microsecond kiss when he’d dropped her at home Sunday morning and the light teasing and mild flirtation, she was starting to wonder if he was attracted or not. She had more affection from Boone, and they were blood relatives.

She let him take her by the hand just as the elevator reached the penthouse apartment and he dragged her through the apartment toward the kitchen so quick she barely registered they’d passed through the living room.

“Are you in a hurry?” she asked as he almost lifted her onto a stool.

He quickly turned around the large island and leaned down into an oven. “Just making sure my puff pastry didn’t burn. We’re still good. I went downstairs at a critical time.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? I do know how to cook as well. It’s just a treat to have someone else do it.”

“Nope, I have it under control,” He reached for a bottle of wine and poured her a deep glass before sliding it in her direction. “Also, I may or may not have found out your favorite dessert is a carrot cake with cream cheese icing.”

She accepted the glass of wine and looked at him curiously, her eyes narrowing on him, “and how did you find out my mortal weakness?”

He chuckled, “I asked your mother if there were things, I should avoid bringing home once we were married. I was thinking things you might be allergic to, nuts, shellfish that kind of thing and she suggested I never bring home carrot cake, or you’ll disappear into the bathtub and eat the entire thing.”

She threw her head back and laughed, her hair cascading over her shoulders at the movement. “There’s a story there. My mother sent me to fat camp when I was fifteen. When I got home, I had talked to Analise on the phone about how the entire time I was gone, I’d dreamed of carrot cake. It’s my favorite. She and Nedra sent one to the house and mom almost intercepted the package. I grabbed the cake, raced to my bathroom, locking the bedroom door and then bathroom door. By the time Garth had gotten through both locks, I had eaten three quarters of the cake while sitting in the empty bathtub.” She grinned at him, “I had no utensils. I ate it with my hands. My mother was horrified. To this day, it remains one of my favorite memories ever. My friends truly understand me.”

He laughed aloud at her story, “Caris, how awful. Is there a story about the burgers and fries she told me you binge on?”

“No, I don’t even really like burgers. I just get them every time I’m with her because it irritates her. My favorite meal in the world is grilled salmon and a fresh salad but I refuse to get it when I’m with her.” She smiled at him, “although beef wellington is an awfully close second and I think you remember it from the one birthday dinner I ever had at the house. The house chef made it special for me. It was my sixteenth birthday.”

“I did remember,” he admitted quietly. “I remember a lot of things and now as I’m looking back, I’m realizing a lot of the things I remember are tainted by the way Garth and Aileen have interacted with you.” He stared seriously over the expanse of the marble topped island, “I’m learning there is so much more to you than spoiled girl who shoots her mouth off spitefully all the time.”

She tilted her wine glass in his direction, “sometimes I am though. Just so you know. I can be pretty spiteful.”

“After some of the things I’ve learned the last couple of days, I completely understand.” He shook his head, “your mom actually called me today to ask me what I was cooking you for dinner. Garth let her know we were connecting tonight. She asked me to make sure I monitored your serving sizes.”

“What did you say?” she wasn’t surprised by her mother’s actions.

“I told her there was a reason you never brought men home to meet her before and perhaps her controlling behaviour was the culprit.”

Caris covered her mouth against the wide grin, “you did not.”

“I did!” he mocked her surprise. “Caris, I’m marrying you, not your mother. I’ll always have your back over hers.”

She set her wine glass down seriously and exhaled slowly, “thank you Killian. It means a lot. I don’t pay her a lot of mind now I’m an adult but it’s nice to have back-up.”

“Speaking of men you’ve dated, what happened to the guy you told us on Saturday you were dating?”

“I texted him on my walk back home and said it was done,” she admitted with a smirk. “Truth be told, I’d complained about him the week before to my girlfriends and they were telling me to get rid of him.”

“You texted him on the walk home and ended it. Not serious then?”

“No, not as serious as he would have liked.” She shrugged at his smirk.

“Good.”

“What about you? Anyone you needed to end things with?”

“No. I dated someone about two months ago for about two weeks, but I had to end it when she showed up at our offices expecting me to have s*x with her in my office.” He shook his head, “apparently she had it in her head wealthy men in offices like to engage in activities on their desks.”

She c****d her head to one side and pursed her lips, “are you saying you wouldn’t have s*x in your office?”

“Garth never knocks on my door. Not ever. He just shows up and walks in. Last thing I need is for Garth to see me banging someone in my office.” He shuddered, “the only thing I can imagine worse would be seeing him and Aileen at it in his office.” He pretended to gag.

She laughed, “I wouldn’t worry too much about seeing it happen. I think she’d be too worried about mussing up her hair anyway.”

“Our office environment is pretty politically conservative. You know Garth is friends with a lot of conservative politicians and while some of my ideals don’t exactly align, it’s beneficial for the company to have their support financially.”

“I guess it makes sense. The poor girl though, she must have been humiliated to be shot down and then dumped.”

He waved his hand, “she was with someone else in less than a week.”

“And you?”

“Haven’t had time or the energy to go looking since then.”

She lifted a pale red eyebrow at his comment, “so you haven’t …”

“Had s*x?” he laughed as he bent to take the roasted vegetables from the oven and set them on the counter before bending to get the puff pastry wrapped beef. “It’s been a couple of months, Caris. My junk isn’t going to shrivel up and die if I hit a dry spell.” He waved at the wine glasses, “dining room is through there. Can you bring the wine and the glasses, and I’ll carry this in? I already set the table.”

“Sure,” she walked ahead of him and then came to a stop as she took in the scene in the room. “Wow Killian.”

“You like?” he called out from the kitchen where he was getting things together.

The dining room was lit with several flickering candles and the table was romantically set for two. Soft music played in the background and there had to be twenty dozen roses around the room. “You did this for me?”

“Yes,” his voice was behind her as he stepped into the room, “I told you Caris. I’m willing to put the work in to make what we’re doing as real as possible. I’m hoping the prenup we sign never needs to be looked at and we’re able to make our marriage work for the long haul.”

She sat in the chair he pulled out and felt him squeeze her shoulders as she looked around, “it’s so pretty.”

“I happen to know you like roses,” he teased. “So, tell me what a normal week in the life of Caris looks like?”

“Oh,” she pondered the question for a minute, “I usually get up and swim every morning for about an hour. I’m usually at the office or court by seven thirty or eight. I work until six most days, sometimes later. Weekends I usually dig around my rose gardens or lay in a lounge chair reading a book. I try to have dinner with Analise and Nedra once a week. Every other weekend I’m obligated to do breakfast the country club with Garth, Mom and Maris. It’s the only way they permit me to see her. I run errands on the weekends, and I have some other friends I will meet for lunch occasionally. Lulabelle is one of them. I usually see her a couple times a month. She’s a designer.”

“The one who made your dress the other night.” He eyed her seriously, “did she make the Jessica Rabbit dress?”

She laughed at his question, “yes, she did.”

“You mentioned swimming every day. You were on the swim team, right?”

“Swim, volleyball, basketball, rugby. I was five-eight in grade eight. Every coach wanted me. Thankfully, I was pretty talented in sports. It helped me be competitive which helps being a lawyer.”

“You played rugby? Your mother must have hated watching.”

She gave a sarcastic laugh, “my mother and Garth have never once attended a single event I was involved in. Not track, sports, science fair, or even a parent teacher conference. I made the nationals for debate team three years in a row and swim four years in a row and they didn’t attend even one meet. My mother was appalled I would be seen in a swimsuit in public and Garth couldn’t be arsed.”

He sat his fork down. “They never attended a single thing?”

“No. I am an embarrassment to them. One year at nationals I got silver instead of gold and Garth told me I should just quit. Next year I swept every heat out of spite.”

“Good for you,” he grinned at her.

As they ate their meals they continued chatting about work and their day and Caris acknowledged she was relaxed and happy sitting with Killian. He was a great host and while they had dessert, he held her hand and routinely reached out to touch one of her curls which kept falling onto her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. When dinner was over and he offered to take her on a tour of his condominium, she was content and comfortable with him.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked her to the living room.

“This a lot bigger than I expected,” she noted the piano, “I didn’t know you play.”

“I do, though not as much as I used to,” he said.

“Please don’t say you play country music on it,” she teased him and earned him tickling her side in response. She moved towards the wide doors opening to a balcony overlooking the city, “this is a hell of a view.”

Killian stared at her, “it sure is.”

She looked up at him and smiled expecting him to kiss her the way he was looking at her but instead he took her by the hand.

“I’ll show you the rest.” He took her through a hall, “guest bedroom which has never been slept in is there,” he motioned to a door and then pulled her into another room. “This is my bedroom.”

She wondered if this had been his play all along and looked around the room, “not what I was expecting. It’s very warm and cozy,” she commented as she took in the dark wood of the bed and nightstands and the warm beige walls. “I expected modern and sleek.”

“This is actually the only room in the house I personally decorated. I wanted you to see it so you would see a bit more of my personality, I guess.” He lifted her face to him, “you are so beautiful, Caris. I’m going to kiss you again.”

She stepped closer to him and wound her arms around his waist and closed her eyes as he gently pressed his lips against hers. The kiss barely lasted to the count or ten and when he pulled away, she made a face and stepped away from him.

“Is something wrong?” he asked quietly

“What gives Killian?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you not find me attractive? If you’re having to force yourself to feel something enough to kiss me for a half second, then don’t force it.”

He reached out and gripped her hands in his, “Caris, five days ago, you barely liked me, bordered on hated me. I’m making sure when we decide to take this to the next level, it’s not something you’re going to wake up from the next day and regret. I want you to want me when you like me, not when you’re still learning to tolerate me.” He pulled her closer to him, “the question isn’t about me wanting you. I do. I could very easily toss you into the middle of my bed and keep you there for days. I just want to be sure it's where you want to be. I won’t start anything that’s going to leave a sour taste in your mouth in the morning. I want you to like me when we sleep together.”

“Oh,” she felt a moment of confusion. “Makes sense.”

“Come on, let’s go back to the living room and I’ll play you some country music on my piano.”

She giggled at his suggestion, “um, maybe it’s time to go home.”

He pulled her roughly to him and pretended to scowl at her, “I will convert you to country music.” He planted a kiss to her nose and then walked her back to the living room.

Caris considered this might have been the second strangest date she’d ever been on. She also realized the overnight bag she’d packed in her car was not going to be needed. It was all so odd.