Sin to Skin

KENDRICK

“How’s my favorite older brother?”

Kendrick rolled his eyes as his only brother smiled brightly on his laptop screen. “What do you want, Kyle?” he grunted.

“When you say it like that, it sounds like I only call when I want something.”

Kendrick’s fingers itched to end the Skype call.

After seeing the look on Kendrick’s face, Kyle sighed. “It’s not me, it’s Kai. She wants you to drop her off at school.”

“Does Kai want me to drop her off or Kyle and Tia?”

“Tia’s not at her best today, and I have a meeting. You know Kai is scared of the bodyguards, and we fired the babysitter last night because she’s been giving Kai all sorts of junk to eat.”

“Junk? Aren’t her meals always prepped and ready?”

“She’s been carrying the stuff with her when she comes in. If I hadn’t checked the videos, I wouldn’t have caught it. We only called her in because I needed to take Tia to the hospital for the vomiting. They gave her Dramamine and said she needed to rest. Kai needs her Uncle Kenny right now.”

The little girl must have the hearing of a bat because she came barreling into the room screaming, “Uncle Kenny! Uncle Kenny!”

Kyle grinned from ear to ear, knowing that he’d won.

“I guess you get to show Ms. Jordon to Uncle Kenny, huh?” Kyle lifted his daughter onto his lap so she could be in the camera’s view.

Kai was a five-year-old princess. Having a rich uncle and a well-off father meant the little girl lived in luxury. Luxury, however, did not mean she didn’t look like the average five-year-old. She was missing her two front teeth but was never shy about giving her Uncle Kenny a big smile. His little niece had managed to become his weakness from the day his brother, her proud father, placed her in his arms.

He was no weaker to her now than he had been then, especially with her caramel-colored hair, which she got from her mother, caught in pigtails with little yellow bows, and her green eyes sparkling beneath long, thick lashes.

One thing was known from the moment Kai was born: she’d look just like her Latina mother. Tia was a supermodel whom his brother managed to snatch off the runway and bring back home. Kendrick was dreading seeing his little princess become a teenager.

“You’ll meet Ms. Jordon, right, Uncle Kenny?”

“Of course, princess.”

Kai’s excitement saw her jumping out of her father’s arms and running from the room to deliver the good news to her mother.

Both he and Kyle watched her leave. Kyle turned around with a victory grin. “You’ll like Ms. Jordon. If I wasn’t so in love with Tia…” Kyle trailed off, but Kendrick picked up what he was trying to say pretty easily.

He gave his brother a disapproving look. Kyle was once a proud playboy, but his days of being a playboy bachelor ended almost as soon as he met his wife, Tia.

It was love at first sight…of her legs, or so his brother loved teasing. But they both knew he was in love long before he saw her legs. As opposed to Kendrick himself, who evaded women like he was playing a game of never-ending dodgeball.

As the older, richer, and single brother, Kendrick didn’t go a day without finding himself running away from a potential wife.

Kendrick had been deemed the King of Bachelors. As the unattainable man, he could not be caught and refused to be tied down. He claimed no one, and no one could claim him because he had no interest in settling for any young broad who saw him as the grand prize.

“I’m sure she’ll be just like the rest of them.” Kendrick rolled his eyes. “ It doesn’t matter anyways. I’ll be there to get her in ten minutes,” Kendrick told him.

“Sure, whatever you say. Kai will be ready.”

***

She wasn’t ready.

Princess Kai had managed to bring up all her breakfast.

“Kai, you can stay home today if you’re not feeling well.”

“No, Daddy. I want to go to school.”

Kendrick and Kyle stood in the doorway of the bathroom, their brows furrowed with concern. “Princess, you can rest today,” Kyle insisted, despite knowing neither he nor Tia were available to stay with her. Kyle knew Kai was aware of that too. Still, he was free to say such a thing.

Kyle glanced back at his older brother, sure that he would drop any meeting, any plans or commitments without hesitation to see to his niece. That’s why Kyle knew to call him this morning, even though he was aware that Kendrick intended to visit the location of the latest restaurant he was working to open.

Kendrick rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder as the little girl insisted, “I want to go to school,” with the smell of her throw-up still lingering in the air. Her cheeks puffed up, and her mouth pursed as if she were fighting tears. Her small fists curled at her sides as she stood her ground.

Sighing, Kyle gave up. “Then let’s get you dressed.”

“The pink dress this time!” The little girl celebrated, but her usual cheerful tone missed much of its enthusiasm.

After an hour, she finally came prancing out of the bedroom dressed in an all-pink outfit, her hair now caught in a bouncy ponytail with a huge pink bow.

“Ready to go now?” Kendrick asked her, stooping to scan her.

She gave him a wide smile and turned for him to see her outfit while nodding. “All better,” she said, but Kendrick was still suspicious of the young child’s claim.

She took his hand, and they climbed into the backseat of his Rover. As they pulled out of the driveway, Kai rolled down her window to wave at her father, who stood in silent concern as his daughter went off to school.

JEMMA

“Kai!”

Jemma heard several students scream from behind her. The children had gotten out of their seats to run toward the classroom door to greet the very late Kai Brooks. Jemma looked around, expecting to see Tia or Kyle Brooks. Instead, she was met with Mr. Tall, Dark and Holy Shit!

The man at the door had a neatly groomed beard, full lips, and a slightly crooked nose. He broke it? she pondered briefly. He had piercing, serious brown eyes, thick eyebrows, and dark hair styled to perfection.

Jemma dropped her chalk, picked up her jaw, and hustled through the group of children to finally stand before the stranger who was holding the hand of the grinning little girl.

“Ms. Jordon!” Kai greeted her, releasing the man’s hand to wrap her tiny arms around her teacher’s legs. Kai pulled back, toothless grin in full swing.

“I’m sorry about her late arrival. She wasn’t feeling well this morning.”

Bowing her head, Kai mumbled, “I threw up.”

“Oh no, sweetie,” Jemma began, but Kai shook her head.

“I’m all better now, I promise.”

“Are you?” Jemma asked, and Kai nodded hurriedly. “Then you can go inside, sweetheart.”

The little girl rushed inside to greet her friends. Behind her, the children were distracted, happy to see their classmate. But before her, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was waiting for attention. As soon as he captured it, he kept it.

He leaned in, the profile of his face blocking the view of her students in her periphery. She didn’t mind. In fact, she was too busy marveling at how sharp his jawline was. His cologne tickled her nose, the scent just right. It didn’t overwhelm her, though it washed over her. Jemma felt her heart race.

“Could you keep a close eye on her for us today? She insisted on coming to school, but we’re not sure she’s really okay.” He was whispering, but his voice was deep and commanding. What kind of man does a voice like that belong to?

Jemma found herself nodding. As she was too scared her voice would break, she didn’t speak. Internally, she fought the urge to lean into the heat radiating from his body. The stranger lingered too.

He kept close, and she was sure she had heard him inhale. She pressed her thighs closer together. She needed a name. Just who was this guy? One of Kai’s bodyguards? She’d never seen him before.

“May I ask who you are?” Jemma thanked God she got the sentence out without stuttering.

Pulling back, the man gave her a sly smirk. “I’m Kai’s uncle.” He extended a large hand, his watch, a simple shining gold that caught Jemma’s eyes. She knew it was expensive. She could tell from the design and the cocky way he declared his name, “Kendrick Brooks.”

Somehow, Jemma was sure she’d heard the name elsewhere. Where—Where did she know that name from? She took his hand, feeling the searing heat of it, and thought, ~Well, shit! ~

Jemma looked down at where their hands were connected. She felt her heart thumping in her chest, but she did it anyway.

She batted her eyes at him and licked her lips as she introduced herself, “Jemma Jordon.”

KENDRICK

Kendrick felt the wind get knocked out of him as she batted her eyes. She declared her name to him like she was giving him the only words to the Lord’s Prayer.

Fuck! He’d never seen a woman like this before. Her eyes held a fire that made his cock stir in his slacks. Ken had seen plenty of beautiful women in his time.

Being in his late thirties, he was no stranger to gorgeous women. After all, not only was he handsome, but he just so happened to be stupid rich. Yes, it was true.

He’d encountered all forms of women in his lifetime but never… None of them had ever tossed their attention like they were tossing a salivating dog a bone. And he was…a salivating dog.

He stifled the urge to hiss, “Jesus!” Did she dress like this all the time?

Her royal-blue silk top teased the sight of her cleavage. The long-sleeved button-up shirt was tucked into a skintight black skirt, and she wore stockings that clung to her legs and disappeared under her skirt.

Kendrick scanned her body brazenly. Her skirt, her fucking skirt hugged thick thighs and a round, perfect, heart-shaped ass. An ass he’d seen from the moment he walked up to her classroom door.

He’d give every last dime he owned to see that ass bent over a desk. Christ! The woman had the nerve to have a slit in the back of her skirt as if the outfit wasn’t already doing enough damage to his heart and cock.

Kyle hadn’t done her justice. Simple words like “pretty” and “hot” couldn’t be used to describe Jemma Jordon. Those words were lacking.

She was nothing short of stunning with her cocoa-colored hair, maddening big brown eyes, and tempting bow-shaped lips. Not to mention her seductive voice and the way words seemed to roll off her tongue. A man could sell his heart, no, his soul, just to hear that voice calling his name.

If he could have stood there longer, he would have, except Kai had decided that her uncle was cutting into her class time too much. The little girl called out to her teacher, “Ms. Jordon, we made a crayon rainbow!”

Yes, it was time the children got back to their day, but he would have to see about this Ms. Jordon before too much time elapsed.