The Damaged (The Insiders Trilogy #2) - Tijan by Tijan

Torie shook her head. “You just look stupid right now.” A grunt. “And spoiled.”

I hid a grin. She’d taken the words out of my mouth, ones that I wasn’t about to say.

Hoda glared at her, then me. “Am I fired?”

Torie rolled her eyes, swinging an elbow in my direction. “Up to her still. But man, if I were you, I’d check my attitude. You do know her dad and her man are connected in town and in the field you’re going to be working. You think long term? Might not want to piss off a Francis so early in your game.”

Hoda’s eyes widened. Blood drained from her face.

She hadn’t thought about that, and that told me she was running on pure emotion. All that hatred and nastiness because she was purely jealous, which also shone a light on exactly how spoiled she was, though she probably didn’t even know it.

I didn’t want to enlighten her.

“No, you’re not fired. But like Torie said, stow the nastiness and we’ll be fine.”

Her eyes burned fire at me before she rushed past me and out the door.

Torie waited for it to swing shut. “She is stupid! She is stew-pid.”

“She’s just wrong, that’s all.” My phone buzzed. Kash.

At Naveah. Hallway.

I said, “Gotta go. My man’s here.”

Kash was leaning against the wall, his face turned toward the rest of the club so I got a vision of his side profile. He was lounging back, his hands in his pockets, one foot resting over the other, and for a moment I took him in.

Perfection.

Sensual.

Badass.

Feeling a little unsteady on my knees, I went to him and, knowing I was there, knowing I was watching him, knowing I was coming, those eyes turned back to me. Home. That’s what swept up in me. He’d said it before. I felt it now. I almost faltered in my step, that feeling was so strong, so powerful, and it exploded everywhere in me. It filled me up.

I needed a second.

Hayeses didn’t cry, but dammit, the proof we did was leaking out of me, and not for the first time.

His eyes turned tender as he straightened from the wall. His hand rose, cupping the side of my face as I stepped into him like I’d been made just for his hand. His thumb wiped away the leak and he whispered, “Hey.”

“Hey back.”

My voice was hoarse.

He was searching me. “What is it?”

I shook my head, my throat still thick with the feels. “Nothing.”

The door opened behind me. Torie came out, and Kash looked up to see her.

He drew me to him, my front to his front and his arm circled around, resting behind my shoulders. “What happened?”

Torie looked from me to Kash. “Your IT employee is a bitch. That’s what happened.”

I stiffened in his hold.

His thumb moved over my shoulder blades now. “More.”

She hesitated again, then moved to the side of us. I turned, my eyes imploring, but she ignored me. “Sorry, Bailes. I can’t. He’s my boss and he told me to watch out for you when you’re here. I have to do my job when it happens here.”

“Torie, no.”

Her face closed in, her mouth tightened. Her eyes went straight to Kash, not looking at me once as she laid it all out, what had happened in the bathroom.

Kash’s body was already tense, but it was cement by the time she was done. “I want her in my office. Now.”

“Kash, I—”

He released me as Torie gave him a quick dip of her chin and headed off to do his bidding. His hands caught my shoulders, one moving to tip my head up to his. “No.”

“No?” My eyes flashed.

“No.” His eyes didn’t. They were steady and calm, but there was an undercurrent there. He was pissed off. “My employees don’t talk to you like that. Your classmate, I can’t do a thing about that, but my employee? Fuck no. She doesn’t get the right.” His hands smoothed down my arms, going to my hips, pulling me against him.

“I’m assuming you don’t want her fired. That’s why you tried to hide that from me?”

I nodded.

“Okay.” He tugged me back to him. His arms wrapped around me, his head resting against mine.

The situation aside, I was getting heated in the whole physical way. That was going to happen. It was just Kash. Most girls probably felt the same as I did, but the home feeling was still in me. Still wreaking havoc on my senses and whispering words of love and adoration in my head. All that was going on, so I wasn’t able to stay firm against him. I was melting, and I wanted him to hold me in his arms just a little bit longer.

My arms slid around him and moved up to his shoulder blades. I held on tight, as tight as I could.

He dipped his head down. His mouth moved over my shoulder, then my neck, my jaw, my cheek, and he expelled a soft breath at the corner of my mouth. “I’ll be back. I gotta have my woman’s back.”

Gah. And those words.

I nodded, my forehead moving against his shoulder.

He cupped the back of my head, pressing a hard kiss to my forehead, and then he was gone. Half the guards went with him. Half remained with me.

I trekked back to VIP.





TEN


Kash was kissing my throat.

Gentle soft touches, caresses, and they were waking me up.

My shirt was lifted and his mouth circled my breast. He was sucking on my nipple. His hand was smoothing down my side, circling my waist, and then oomph, I was lifted off the bed, but he only moved between my legs. His arm was firmly holding my ass up, his fingers splayed out, grabbing on to a good chunk of cheek. Then his free hand was pulling my panties down.