The Lost Lyken (4 page)

“Ya, ya because I’m everywhere, I know. But I had to see the outcome of this after Miss Prissy Pants brought the older prissy pants into the coffee shop looking for Kasey.”

“Sorry about that.” Kasey shrugged.

“Oh no kid, I feel sorry for you. Mother, huh?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I need to call my dad and see if he can get her out of here.” Turning to Evan she smiled. “Thanks for lunch.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

Kasey glanced down then back up to meet his gaze, a soft smile lining her lips as she lifted up on tiptoes to kiss him quickly. A little shy, she glanced around as she lowered back to her feet. “Later then,” she said softly before glancing over at Winn and stepping away. Thrusting her hands in her pockets, she didn’t know why she’d gotten shy all of a sudden, it’s not like Evan hadn’t kissed her before, but… “It was the first time in public,” she whispered, smiling as she heard her mother call out her name. Kasey grabbed her cell and called her dad. She listened to the ringing until her dad picked up. “Hey, Dad, did you know Mom was coming out this way today to pull a sneak attack on me?”

“What? No I did not, she told me she was going shopping with a new friend,” Donald Decker said.

“Yeah well her new friend happens to be a jealous pain in my ass from work.”

“For crying out loud, what’s she pulling this time?”

“She wanted to see who I was dating.”

“Ah, that finally wore off, huh? Sorry, kiddo. If I knew what she was planning I would have waylaid her, you know that.”

“I know, Dad, but this is getting ridiculous. She storms in while we’re having lunch and after trying with no luck to disgrace and humiliate him and…”

“So who is this lucky fella?”

Kasey stopped about fifteen steps away from Evan, hearing the smile in her Dad’s voice. “His name’s Evan.” Turning, she smiled when she met Evan’s gaze. “He’s…I don’t know I can’t describe it.”

“Does he make your insides warm?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Then bring him home for the holiday so I can meet him.”

Kasey snapped out of her daydream and turned from Evan’s gaze. “What? Are you nuts? He just met Mom one on one, he’ll never come with me now,” she said as she headed back to her office. “I’m lucky he didn’t run on sight after meeting her, Dad.”

“Does he scare that easily then?” Donald asked.

An image of Evan defending her against the man who attacked her popped into her head. “No, anything but, and I think he’d take her on just for fun because he knows he’d win. I don’t want to subject him to Mom at Christmas time, Dad, you know how she gets.”

“I know. I was just hoping I’d get to see you this year and so was your grandmother.”

Kasey drew her bottom lip between her teeth and started biting. “I know, Dad, and I miss the both of you, but this is new for Evan and me, and I don’t want to start it off with Mom being Mom.”

“I understand totally, kiddo. Are you coming at least?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Keep me posted. I have to go, my two o’clock is here.”

“’Kay. Love ya, Dad.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

Kasey smiled as she hit the off button. She loved her Dad so much. He was the best father in the world. He’d always been there for her in anything she needed or wanted, but he never let her live extravagantly and for that she thanked him. He taught her the finer world of business and how to run a multi-million dollar company, but it just wasn’t something she was meant to do. She loved working next to him, loved brainstorming on ideas and issues with him and her brother Graham, but the corporate world just wasn’t for her and he understood that. He was the first one to say he supported her when she told him she wanted to quit the family business and go to college for journalism. But to bring Evan into the thick of things with her mother right there underfoot every moment for a week, was she insane?

* * * *

“You don’t have to. I just thought I’d ask,” Kasey breathed as Evan glanced away.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, Kase, I just—I had other plans made before we started seeing each other.”

Kasey shrugged. “I understand, Evan, and it’s alright. Actually I don’t blame you at all. I don’t want to sit in with my mother any longer than I have to.”

Evan met her gaze with a grin. “Babe, your mother doesn’t scare me.” Reaching across the small coffee shop table he took her hand within the warmth of his own hand. “I had already made plans to be at Sanctuary with some friends.”

“Oh, so you’re not going home?”

“No, not this time.”

Kasey glanced down at the table. “I was thinking of not going, but I miss my dad, grandma, and brother so much. I, I’m just sick of not doing things because of my mother and sister. I don’t know why they’re such bitches to me every time they see me. Hell she doesn’t treat my sister like crap, although that could be because Sasha does everything my mother tells her to. Those two are two peas in a pod.” Looking up she watched as Evan’s gaze shifted to the side then back to hers, as if he knew a secret or something. “Evan I know you said you’re a COO, but, well, you don’t know my family, do you?”

“No. I’ve heard of your father’s company, but we’re not competitors or allies so I’ve never personally met with him or anyone from the company.”

“Oh,” she said softly. Shrugging her shoulders, she leaned back a bit, smiling when he tightened his grip on her hand.

“I’ve never met any of your family, well except your mother when we were having lunch.”

Kasey smiled, giggling as he drew her close for a kiss, but the niggling little thought that he was hiding something from her slid to the back of her brain as his warm lips settled over hers softly. Laying her palm on the side of his cheek, she sighed softly as his lips worked the tingles racing through her into a frenzy. Gasping, she yanked back, her eyes heavy with desire as the voice that sparked her back to reality intruded again when Evan leaned back in toward her.

“Hey, you’re gonna be late for work,” Winn chuckled.

Kasey’s eyes flew wide. “Oh crap.” Leaning forward she planted her lips heavily on Evan’s as she grabbed her purse and then was off. “Crap, I’m going to be late.” Running out the door, she darted around several people on the sidewalk, breathing heavily as she ran through the foyer, shoved open the stairway door and flew down the steps, hitting keys on her keyboard and punching in one minute before her scheduled time. “Damn,” she breathed, flopping back into her seat.

“What, are you trying to get some exercise this morning?” Henry asked.

Kasey snorted. “Yeah right, I was lip locking with Evan and lost track of time.”

Henry smiled. “It must have been one hell of a kiss. Okay girl, get your coffee and let’s go hit the morning meeting.”

Kasey frowned as he turned. “You know, I really hate the meetings.” Grabbing her notebook and pen, she hopped up, following him to the galley kitchen and then to the conference room.

“I know, kid, I know.”

* * * *

Evan frowned as he stared Winn down. “You know why I can’t go with Kasey to her parents for Christmas.”

“I think you’re full of shit.”

“What?” Evan roared. “You want me to go during a full moon? I’d tear into her like you with chocolate on your period.”

“Oh, you’re so gross!” Winn exclaimed. “Gross, but true. Now think about all the wonderful sex you could have.”

Evan shook his head as he grabbed a towel and started wiping down the tables. “Yeah, wonderful, great, mind blowing sex with my wolf’s pick for a soul mate. I’d take her, mate with her and make her mine. Somehow I think she’d feel a bit bruised, used and pissed that I’ve been lying to her from day one.”

“I think she’d understand.”

Glancing back he met Winn’s gaze. “And if I scare her away, what then? It’s not as if she grew up knowing about us, and what if she isn’t ready to commit to a relationship with me? She’s human, Winn. My inner wolf may be telling me, “it’s her, buddy, go get her and make her yours,” but she has no idea, no idea. So why would she want to move so fast with me?”

“Because she knows being with you is right.”

Evan whipped around. “Just what the hell are you getting at?”

“We may have scented that little something with her mother, but I’m telling you there’s more to Kasey than even what she knows. More than what you can get because you’re still just a little itty bitty baby pup,” Winn grinned. “To me that is. So listen to what I’m telling you. Kasey will accept you.” Shrugging, she tossed a dry cloth at his head. “Why do you think she has such an interest in Alston?

“No clue,” Evan frowned. “And I’m sure you’re not going to tell me either.”

* * * *

Evan smiled as he walked beside Kasey at the craft fair. “So your dad’s going to love this, huh?”

“Oh yeah. It’s leather and hand bound. He’ll probably let it sit on his desk for two years before he decides it’s ok to write in it, Kasey said as she chuckled. She glanced over as Evan stopped by a jewelry table.

“These are pretty cool, what do you think?”

Kasey leaned over his shoulder. “Very nice workmanship.”

Evan chuckled as he looked back and met her gaze. “That’s it? Not your style?”

“What?” Standing up Kasey stared at him. “Ah, no, I think they’re very pretty, but, but…” She stepped back again.

Evan turned when he heard the slight rattling of the jewelry, noticing the perplexed look on the seller’s face, and then it stopped. “Hey, Kasey, if you don’t…”

His brows drew in when he turned and she was gone. “Kasey?”

“Over here.”

Evan looked down the long aisle, frowning as she waved at him from the very end. He headed her way. Something wasn’t right, he knew that for sure. For one thing jewelry didn’t just start trembling on the table and stop the minute she was out of the area. “What’s up with you?”

“I, ah, I’m allergic…to…silver.”

“Well geez, Kase, that’s all you had to say. It doesn’t agree with me either, but I thought you might like a piece.”

Kasey wrapped her hand around his elbow. “Thank you for thinking of me, but you don’t have to buy me jewelry, Evan.”

“Can if I want,” he pouted, grinning when she glanced up at him and started laughing. “Come on you, I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

Evan took her hand and ran with her to the fried dough stand. “Hey, two please; cinnamon and powdered sugar.”

“I thought you said hungry, not snack?”

“I did, but this will keep us until we get to the restaurant,” he said as he paid for the food.

“Oh yeah? And where’s that?”

Evan wrapped his arm around her, yanking her to his chest. “Anywhere you want to go.” Lowering his mouth to hers quickly, he smiled as he backed up.

“You’re a trouble maker.”

“How so?”

“Anywhere I want to go, huh? What if I wanted a Maine lobster?”

Evan grinned. “Then we’d be driving to Maine.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, is that what you want?” he asked as he ran his hand up her back.

“Well, um, maybe not tonight, but I will hold you to one.”

Evan leaned in, his lips a hair away from hers. “Anytime, you just let me know.”

“Oh, ok.” The whisper barely escaped before his lips met hers. Her hand rested on his chest.

Evan groaned bringing her closer to him, his hard cock pressed up against her stomach. He darted his tongue into her mouth when her lips parted. Her body trembled. Always alert to the things around him, Evan slowly lifted his head, his eyes pinned on the female about a hundred yards away staring at them intently. “I think our snack is done,” he whispered. Smiling, he met Kasey’s gaze as her eyes fluttered open. Lifting his eyes again, his gaze narrowed when he found the woman gone. Tilting his head slightly he breathed deeply trying to get a scent, but with him being downwind from where the woman had been, he couldn’t, not unless he went up there and followed her trail. Lowering his gaze when Kasey punched him softly, he smiled. “Sorry, hon, thought I saw someone I knew.”

“Well your fried dough is going to get cold if you wait any longer.”

Evan smiled as he leaned down kissing her softly, sucking in her lower lip before letting her go. He ran his tongue along her lower lip. “Mmmm, powdered sugar and cinnamon. The bad thing is, now I’ll smell cinnamon and think of you every time.”

“And that’s bad?” she whispered.

“It is when we’re in public.” Grinning he moved back and snatched up his dough, taking a large bite of the warm snack as he kept her gaze.

“And,” clearing her throat, Kasey took a step back, “If we weren’t?”

Evan stepped toward her until he could lean down close to her ear. “Then I’d have you undressed, laying before me, and I’d be taking my time as I licked powdered sugar and cinnamon off every inch of your body.” Her breathing hiked and a warm breath of air hit his neck, making his dick uncomfortably hard.

“Oh.”

Meeting her gaze he could see her desire reflecting his own. “Kase…”