Since I Saw You (Because You Are Mine #4)(14)
Author: Beth Kery

“You think far too much of my abilities,” she muttered under her breath.

“I sincerely doubt that,” Ian said, glancing at his watch. “At any rate, we can ask Kam what he thinks about the whole thing. He’s due here any minute to get a tour of Noble. It’s his first visit to the offices. Coraline went down to the lobby to get him.”

Lin didn’t have much time to get panicked. A knock sounded at the door.

“Ah, here he is,” Ian said, standing.

•   •   •

A middle-aged, attractive brunette had been waiting for him in the lobby when he entered Noble Tower. She identified herself as Coraline Major and explained as they got on the elevator that she was one of Ian’s administrative assistants.

“I thought Lin Soong was his assistant,” Kam said as the elevator doors closed silently.

“Ms. Soong? Mr. Noble’s secretary?” Coraline said, thin, plucked eyebrows arching high at the idea. Coraline waited discreetly while two young men in suits got off on the tenth floor. The door closed, leaving the two of them alone in the elevator. “Myself and three others are both Mr. Noble’s and Ms. Soong’s assistants. Ms. Soong is a Noble executive. She sits on Mr. Noble’s advisory board and is considered by many his chief advisor. No one knows the company better, save Mr. Noble himself. She’s worked here since she was just a teenager off and on. Even when she was still in high school, she used to come to the office sometimes and her grandmother would put her to work on the books and such. Ms. Soong has her grandmother’s head for numbers. She’s certainly every bit as elegant and graceful as Mrs. Lee was,” Coraline recalled fondly.

“She was born and bred Noble, it sounds like.”

“Precisely. Mr. Noble consults her on almost everything. Ian calls her his right hand. They work together exceptionally well.”

A sudden, fierce wish went through Kam to return home to Aurore Manor, that familiar, brooding haunt of a home where he was free to do what he chose without overthinking everything, where he existed without the concern of offending. Not that the place was gloomy anymore. It’d been transformed under his hard physical labor, the massive cleaning Elise and Francesca had orchestrated with a platoon of maids, and the items that had arrived to refurnish the place. The shadows were being slowly vanquished, the darkness of Trevor Gaines evaporated by kind visitors, new hopes, organization, hard work, and streaming sunlight. It was becoming a home instead of a shell of a house. But more importantly, there was no one at Aurore to offend but his dog, Angus, and Angus was too good-natured of a beast to stay mad for long.

Phoebe Cane was caring for Angus in his absence, but he was suddenly quite certain his dog was as uncomfortable in Phoebe’s house as Kam was in his luxury hotel room here in Chicago. After all, Kam himself had never been content in the confines of Phoebe’s house for longer than it took to exchange pleasure. His dog would have one less reason for wanting to be there.

Coraline seemed to notice his scowl and thought it wise to change the subject.

“I can’t get over how much you and Mr. Noble resemble one another,” she said.

“If one more person tells me that, I’m going to grow back my beard as soon as nature allows it.”

He was so preoccupied with a longing for home and considering what Coraline had said about Lin and Ian working so well together that he didn’t notice he’d silenced Ian’s assistant completely. Was this idealistic working relationship the reason Lin thought Ian would disapprove of her and Kam sleeping together? Perhaps Ian had to approve of everything in Lin’s life since her life so closely intersected with his? And Lin had certainly pointed out that Ian would not give Kam the thumbs-up, brother status or no.

Kam couldn’t say he’d be surprised in either case. He wasn’t exactly in Lin’s league. Still, the truth grated. It was best all around just to put Lin Soong out of his mind. He’d never really invited her in to begin with except in the peripheral sense.

He stalked off the elevator when the door opened at the top floor, temporarily forgetting his guide.

Lin was the first thing his gaze landed on in the large, sun-filled office when Coraline knocked and opened the door for him to enter. She sat on a chair before an enormous, elaborately carved desk, her chin over her shoulder, watching him warily with those large, dark eyes. She was a palette of black and sun-infused ivory skin, wearing an ebony dress with long sheer sleeves. Her long legs were crossed. He recalled explicitly how she’d looked Monday night with her skirt shucked up to her waist exposing lithesome, silky thighs and the sweetest pussy God had ever created—

He grimaced. So much for sweeping her out of his head.

He paused for a split second just inside the door, trying to interpret her expression, and failing. He hadn’t overplayed the luster—or the appeal—of her eyes in his memories during the past few days. They drew a man in like a moth to dark flame. He yanked his stare off her and automatically took Ian’s hand when he extended it.

“Welcome,” Ian greeted warmly. “I hope you found us all right.”

“It’s kind of hard to miss,” Kam said dryly. Noble Tower was one of the most impressive of the high-rises along the river. He understood that his brother’s new headquarters had already become an iconic symbol of the city.

“Can we get you anything? Coffee? Breakfast?” Ian asked.

“No. I had breakfast at Lucien and Elise’s.” Coraline took this as her signal to go and exited silently. Ian waved him over to the pair of chairs where Lin sat.

“I wish you’d reconsider staying with us at the penthouse. Francesca was on me about it after you left last night,” Ian said. “I understand from Lucien that Elise is giving him just as hard of a time because you’re not staying with them, either.”

“I’m used to being alone,” Kam replied shortly, even though the last thing he felt was alone in his hotel room. More like a cooped-up lab rat.

“Lin and I were just discussing the meeting with the Gersbachs tonight,” Ian said as he went behind his desk. Kam lowered to the chair next to Lin. He gave a sideways glance and caught her staring. Her gaze immediately jumped off him like a skipped rock. Her dress was loose and shapeless, like an oversized man’s shirt, but made of draping, soft silk. Unfortunately for him and his overactive libido, it was also cut just above her knees, leaving a few inches of thigh and her lower legs exposed. To add to his misfortune, she also wore a pair of spiked heels with inch-thick straps that buckled around her ankles. The vision of the black leather against her slender, elegant ankles sent an electrical jolt through him. Fuck if it didn’t make him think of tightening leather restraints around those sexy ankles—straps that had nothing to do with luxury footwear—of Lin bound and helpless, writhing and moaning in pleasure beneath his mouth and hands—