Meet Cute (Page 18)

Shit. I need to get my head out of the gutter. Especially considering this woman barely tolerates me. I bring my gaze back to hers, aware I’ve just been caught ogling, based on the unimpressed arch of her brow.

I hold out the coffee. “Hi.”

“What’s this?” She eyes it suspiciously.

“A nonfat, two-pump vanilla latte with extra cinnamon. It’s a thank-you for taking time out of your schedule for meeting with me today and for coming to the school yesterday, and for the way you treated Emme.”

She shoots a suspicious glare at Cara before giving me one of her cold smiles. “Oh, well, you’re a client, so . . . why don’t we go to my office?”

I give Cara a wink—she’s the one who gave me the coffee details—and follow Kailyn down the hall to her office, disappointed by the way her jacket hides the curve of her ass.

She moves toward a small table where a pile of highlighted and tabbed documents are spread out neatly. Just like in college, there are a selection of funky pens in a variety of colors beside the documents. Even her organizational skills are a turn-on. I think I really need to get some action. And soon. For a moment I imagine shoving the papers off the desk, laying her out, and just . . . fucking away the ever-present tension between us.

She motions to the chair in front of me. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can go over the details.”

Right. We’re here to talk about Emme, not get naked. Why is my head so deep in the gutter this morning? “After you.” I pull out a chair and wait for her to sit, tucking her into the table before I take the seat next to her. It’s overkill, but I’m looking to change her opinion of me, and being chivalrous is a better place to start than what’s really going on in my head.

She picks up a document and sets it in front of me. “How’s Emme today? Actually, where is Emme today?”

“She’s down the street at the library working on a school project. I would’ve brought her here, but I don’t want to cause her more stress if I don’t need to. Besides, she’s mopey and you don’t need to be subjected to that.”

“Oh? Did something happen?”

“I took away her electronics until Monday.”

Kailyn’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s like taking a baby’s pacifier.”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“I wonder who’s more miserable, you or her.” She grins a little, like that might make her happy.

“It’s probably pretty even, at least for now. I assume it’ll be far worse by the end of the weekend.”

“Good luck with that.” She taps the trust document. “I only have until twelve thirty, so we should get down to it. The trust is safe, and the allocated funds will still be transferred into your account at the beginning of every month to help finance Emme’s care.”

“An allowance?”

“You can think of it that way if you like, except the money will be transferred into a joint account that I’ll have access to until the custody case is resolved, and you’ll have to provide me with receipts for all expenses.”

“Excuse me?”

She glances up from the document, her expression placid. “I’m legally responsible for tracking the funds and making sure they’re actually going toward Emme’s care.”

“You mean you need to make sure I’m not stealing from my sister,” I snap.

“Essentially, yes. And any additional monetary requests have to be approved by me.”

“Are you serious with this?”

Kailyn sits back in her chair and crosses her legs. She looks just as annoyed as I do. “My role here is to protect Emme and her finances. I would do exactly the same thing if I was dealing with your aunt or any other guardian. So you can be pissed off about it, but I suggest you reserve your hostility for the person who deserves it, and that isn’t me.”

As irritated as I am by this whole situation, she has a point. My anger shouldn’t be directed at her, again, but I sure as hell can’t aim it at the person who’s put me in this position. Not to mention it’s hot as hell to have Kailyn take me down a peg or two.

“Got it.” I tap the arm of my chair. “I need to keep detailed records of receipts and go through you for additional funds. Anything else?”

“Regarding the trust, no.” She picks up a pen from the desk and flips it between her fingers, something she used to do in class all the time. “We can’t make or implement changes until the custody dispute is settled. So I think the most important thing we can do is discuss my role and how we’ll deal with future issues.”

I don’t like how Kailyn’s being dragged into this whole thing with me. The finances I get, but having to involve her in anything else is complicated, especially since the antagonism between us still seems to be an issue. And Emme likes her. “I can deal with future issues. If the school calls you, then you call me and I’ll deal with it.”

“My role as conservator means I must be directly involved, and I’ll need to be present for school meetings, should they occur.”

Her tone gets my back up and I lean forward, getting closer. “And you need to remember that I’m her brother and she’s my number one priority, not an obligation or a job.”

She mirrors my pose, leaning in, except she’s much more composed than I am. “How exactly do I know that, Daxton? How do I know that you haven’t spent all your savings? Maybe you’re on your last dime. Maybe you snorted or gambled all your money away, maybe you spent it all on prostitutes and now you’re looking to supplement your income with Emme’s trust.”

“Do I look like I need to hire a prostitute?”

Her gaze moves over me and she lifts a shoulder. All the while the pen keeps traveling back and forth along her fingers. “I have no idea what your sexual habits are, Daxton. But I can make a guess as to your type based on your friend at the diner the other day.”

It takes a second for me to tie together the reference. “Jessie’s an attention-seeking star fucker, not a friend. She attended the same charity event as I did and made quite a spectacle.”

Surprise crosses Kailyn’s face, possibly at my candor or my language, I’m not sure which, and she fumbles her pen.

“Regardless, if there are any pictures floating around the internet with the two of you, be prepared for that to come out. I’m just asking the questions Linda’s lawyer will if this goes to trial, so if you have any sordid secrets, you might want to fess up now.” She sets something on the table and pushes it toward me with the end of her pen. I glance down at the tin of mints.

It’s at that moment I realize I’m only a few inches away from her, eyes locked on hers. She grins and exhales, heavily. I feel her breath on my chin. It’s fruity, like she was eating something sweet before I arrived. I wonder what that smart mouth tastes like. I wonder if she kisses like she argues.

“You’re having issues with personal space again, Mr. Hughes.”

I lean back in my chair and run a hand through my hair. I’m typically so much better at keeping myself in check, but this is personal. Between that and Kailyn, my cool seems to go right out the window. I hadn’t exactly forgotten what going head-to-head with Kailyn was like, she was always a force, but this version . . . I like her even more than I did back then. I wonder if she has any idea how sexy she is. Probably not. Which makes her even hotter. “You always knew how to push my buttons.”

“You’re going to need to learn how to manage those buttons better.” She motions between us. “Think of this as retraining.”

I laugh and she smiles, some of the tension easing. “Look, Kailyn, I wanted to apologize yesterday, but you interrupted me.”

Her smile becomes tight and she leans back in her chair. “That’s because I don’t require an apology. Especially not because you want to butter me up. This is me doing my job.”

I prop my chin on my fist and wait for her to stop. “Can you just humor me for a minute?”

She crosses her arms over her chest, that hot-pink-patterned pen still clenched in her fist. Her blouse is buttoned almost to the top, so the amount of cleavage is disappointingly minimal.

“Staring at my rack isn’t helping win you points, FYI.”

Dammit. I just keep digging a bigger hole. I drag my gaze back up to her face. “I know this situation isn’t ideal for you, but I’d like to clear the air between us.”

Kailyn sweeps her hand out. “I already told you, I won’t let the past interfere with Emme’s best interests.”

I keep pushing, though, because she’s obviously flustered. “Back in school, my friends were assholes and I thought we had a friendly rivalry. I didn’t stop to think you might take it personally.”

She blinks a few times. “That’s what you wanted to apologize for?”

“Yeah. Well, that and getting all up in your space yesterday and being a jerk. I didn’t expect you to be at the school and I was worried about Emme.”

“Right. Of course.” Her gaze shifts away. “Well, we’re both adults now, and I promise not to throw myself at you like a fangirl again.”