Bailey, Debbie - Stephanie's Homecoming [Men of Kinsey 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Stephanie couldn’t help but smile at Joe.

  “Well…are you going to introduce me, or do I have to do it myself, old man?” Turk laughed and slapped Joe on the back.

  “Old man, eh, I’m sure to remind you of your comment next time we have a bronc-busting contest out at the Triple K and you’re lying flat on your back while I’m collecting the gold buckle…again.” Turk had enough sense to actually blush then.

  “But I’ll put you out of your misery, youngster. This here is the new owner of the Kinsey Pictorial, Miss Stephanie Morrison. Stephanie, this young buck here is Turk Delray.”

  “Not the Stephanie Morrison, Joe?” Turk slid in beside her, his arm moving along the back of the booth behind Stephanie.

  “So, darlin’, you’re Kane’s Stephanie, no wonder the idiot wouldn’t budge from the booth,” Turk muttered.

  “Shit, is Kane here?” she squeaked.

  Hell, why did she have to almost forget her name whenever someone mentioned that jackass, Kane?

  “Yup, he’s sitting at our usual booth, growling into his burger while making eyes at you.” Grabbing her by the hand, he pulled her from the booth and headed back toward his booth and Kane.

  “Dammit, Turk, this is so not a good idea. You don’t know how much Kane hates me.” Stephanie started to panic the closer they got to Kane.

  Stopping suddenly, she almost ran into the back of Turk. “What do you mean he hates you? Whatever gave you that idea, baby? Kane’s been waiting for you to come home for years.” He started dragging her toward Kane again.

  “Hey, Kane, look what I found over in the booth with Joe. The new owner of the Kinsey Pictorial and, I believe, a very special old friend of yours, Miss Stephanie Morrison.” Turk smiled and presented her like she was a show pony.

  Without so much as lifting his head, Kane said, “Been a long time, brat, what took you so long to come home?”

  Stephanie couldn’t believe how her body still reacted so strongly to Kane Bryson. Her palms started to sweat, and she could feel the heat rising in her pussy. It was as if she’d never left and never spent the last ten years working her ass off trying to forget the man now sitting in front of her.

  “Gee, I don’t know, Kane. After our last meeting, I didn’t think you’d want me around ever again.” Steph could have kicked herself for the bitchy comment. She of all people knew better than to bait Kane.

  Lifting his head, he finally looked at her. His eyes were just as she remembered them, pale gray and surrounded by the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen. She knew women in the city that would kill for lashes that long and thick.

  “You left without giving me a chance to explain, angel eyes.” Kane smiled and sat back, resting his arms along the back of the booth.

  Fuck, I forgot how huge he really is.

  Standing six feet seven inches tall, Kane Bryson was huge by anyone’s standards. His arms and chest reminded her of a linebacker, and his legs were like tree trunks. But no matter how big he was, he was one of the gentlest men she’d ever met.

  Swallowing loudly, Stephanie was trying to figure a graceful way out of this.

  “Wasn’t much to explain now was there, Kane. Jenny Black was wrapped pretty tight around you when I interrupted that night. And if I remember correctly, she had very few clothes on.” Stephanie leaned forward, snatched a French fry from his plate, and turned to Turk, saying, “It was really nice to meet you, Turk. Maybe you and I could have dinner one night?”

  Stupid, stupid, stupid Steph, an invitation like that to another man was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

  Before Turk could answer, Kane was out of his seat with his arms around her waist, pulling her front hard against his solid body.

  “Baby, you’ll have dinner with Turk, but I’ll be there, too. Turk and I share our women and have for a very long time now. When you’re ready, both of us are going to show you exactly what that means.”

  Turk came to stand behind her, resting his hands on her hips and gently nuzzling the side of her neck.

  “I can smell your cream, baby, and I can’t wait until I get to have a taste.” Turk’s voice was deep and laden with desire.

  Something unfamiliar was happening to him. He wanted Steph more than he’d wanted any woman before her, and from the way her body was responding, she seemed to feel the same way.

  “Jesus, Kane, if we don’t get out of here, I’m going to bend her over this table and fuck her senseless.” Turk’s voice was heavy with desire.

  Slowly starting to focus again, Stephanie pushed hard against Kane’s chest and moved away from between the two men.

  “Yes, Kane, maybe you and Turk should go and see if Jenny’s available, because I’m certainly not. Oh, and, Turk, if you want to have dinner, call my office, and Shayne will give me a message if I’m not there.”

  “Who the fuck is Shayne? That better be a female’s name?” Kane said growling.

  Smiling, she took a few steps back toward her table then turned and said, “He’s my young executive assistant, and I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very well over the next few months, what, with all the late nights we’ll have to put in at the office.”

  * * * *

  Turk and Kane just stood there staring at her ass as she strutted across the diner back to sit with Joe again.

  “Fuck, Kane, we’re in big trouble, aren’t we?” Turk couldn’t seem to take his eyes from the woman who had just knocked his world off-kilter.

  Kane felt exactly the same way. “We are in such big trouble, my friend. I told you she’d be back soon. I don’t know how I knew, but I just did, and I’m damned glad you’re here to enjoy her with me. She was hell on wheels ten years ago, and it looks like she’s just pumped her wheels full of air and is ready for anything.”

  “So what happened ten years ago that spooked her so bad?” Turk asked. Oh, he’d heard stories from a lot of different sources, but Kane never seemed to be willing to talk about it. He’d mentioned his “angel eyes” many times over the years, and how one day she was going to come back, and he and Turk would love her to bits and make lots of babies.

  Sitting down at the booth again, Kane sighed and pushed his half-eaten burger away.

  “It was such a fucking bitchy thing that Jenny did. And she did it for no other reason than to hurt Steph. We had been seeing each other for about six months. I knew that Stephanie was the woman for me, but I held back because I also knew myself well enough to know that eventually I would want to share her with another. I was hoping to slowly introduce her into the lifestyle, and then, together, we’d look for a third, but before I could even start explaining things to her, Jenny showed up at my door. She’d been crying and said that a couple of the local boys had tried to force themselves on her. She had a ripped dress and some scratches, as well. I got some antiseptic and bandages, but when I turned back around, she had taken the dress off completely and practically jumped into my arms. That’s when Steph walked in, and the rest, as they say, is history. After Jenny made sure that Stephanie thought that she and I had been fooling around, Steph bolted and never looked back. Jenny acted like she’d done me some big favor and said that she’d be much better for me anyway. Needless to say, I threw the fucking bitch out and tried to go after Steph, but by the time I caught up with her, it was too late. She’d already caught a plane away from me.”

  * * * *

  Turk had heard similar versions, but none were told with such stark emotion behind them. Kane had really loved Steph, and her leaving had almost broken him. They didn’t meet until a year later, when Kane decided to hook up with some of his old military buddies and do some mercenary work for the government. He’d been friends with one of the guys, and he knew of Turk’s background and asked him to join them. He and Kane had hit it off immediately, but within six weeks, half their team was gone, and both he and Kane had had enough and decided to head back home. Since Turk wasn’t all that close to his family, Kane invited him to come and live with hi
m in Kinsey until he could figure out what he wanted to do. Sure, Turk had talked about his brother, Brian, on occasion, but they hadn’t kept in close touch over the years. That was almost ten years ago, and since then they had built their security business into a multimillion dollar company.

  When Ryder, Dan, and Sam Kinsey reopened Club Kinsey, the BDSM club, both of them found they liked to share their women. Kane and Turk found they could both give and receive greater pleasure when the two of them worked together to pleasure a woman.

  Turk knew just by the way Kane had reacted to Stephanie that he still loved her a great deal, and after spending only a very short time with her, he could see why. Even as pissed as she was at Kane, there was no way the she could hide her response to both of them. But it wasn’t just her physical response that got his attention, it was the way his whole being calmed when he held her and nuzzled her neck. Her scent was as intoxicating as the best malt liquor. Damn, he was becoming such a sap as he got older, but something about Stephanie drew not just his body, but his heart and soul as well.

  “We’ve got to do something to get her to listen to you, Kane. Why would Jenny do something so hurtful to you and Stephanie?” Turk asked.

  “The only thing that I’ve ever been able to get out of Jenny was that she felt that she would be better suited to me than Stephanie and that someday I would see that. Even to this day, Jenny still tries to get me to take her to bed. I swear on Momma’s grave I have never slept with that woman, nor would I ever. I’ve even caught her sneaking around outside the house a couple of times in the past year or so. With Stephanie back in town, I don’t know what Jenny will try to pull.”

  “Why the hell haven’t you said anything about this before now, Kane? If this woman is stalking you, she obviously doesn’t have all her screws tightened, and she might be dangerous.” Turk didn’t like the fact that Kane hadn’t told him about seeing Jenny around the house earlier, but he understood it. Kane was a man who knew how to take care of himself and wouldn’t ever think that some slip of a woman could ever physically hurt him. But a bullet wouldn’t care whether a man or a woman was firing it, and that was what scared him.

  “I honestly don’t think she is any threat. She’s never given me creepy gifts or anything like that, she just seems to turn up everywhere that I am lately, and I’m afraid having Steph back will push her over the deep end.”

  Suddenly Turk’s eyes widened, and his mouth gaped like a fish out of water. “Well, speak of the devil.”

  * * * *

  “Hi, Kane, hi, Turk, how are my two favorite men this afternoon?” Kane knew that Jenny Black was nobody’s fool. She was well aware that Stephanie Morrison was back and sitting across the diner from them.

  “What the hell do you want, Jenny?” Turk snapped. He wasn’t going to give this conniving bitch any attention unless absolutely necessary.

  Grabbing a chair from a nearby table, Jenny pulled it close and sat down, as if invited to join them.

  “Well damn, Turk, that’s not a very friendly way to say hello. I was just coming in for some lunch and saw the two of you and thought I might see what you were up to this Friday night. I’m having a bit of a bash up at Mom and Dad’s place and thought you might like to come? My parents are away in Africa or Asia or some godforsaken place helping the natives, and since I have the place to myself, I thought I’d throw a bit of a shindig to celebrate.” When Jenny reached out her hand to run it down Kane’s arm, he immediately pulled it away.

  “What’s up with the two of you? You’re acting like I’m some kind of stranger.” Jenny didn’t like to be ignored and would probably go to almost any length to get their attention.

  “I can’t believe you’re still living at home with your parents, Jenny.” Kane smirked. “You’re well past the age of consent, so why aren’t you out on your own?”

  “Why the hell would I want to be out on my own when I can live free and clear in a huge mansion with servants at my beck and call? If I lived on my own, I’d have to cook for myself and do laundry, and there are just so many more fun things that I could be doing.” The way Jenny looked at them, they knew what kind of fun things she was referring to.

  “I don’t know why we haven’t gotten married yet, Kane. You know that we belong together, we always have. All my friends think that we make the perfect couple, so why can’t you see it?” Kane looked at Jenny, he really looked at her this time, and all he saw was a spoiled, rich bitch who had set her sights on him ten years ago and was still under the illusion that she even had a ghost of a chance. Well, it was time for him to make sure she finally understood that he would never be hers.

  “Are you serious, Jenny? You don’t think that I would marry a spoiled little bitch like you, do you? Ten years ago you made sure to give the illusion that you and I had had sex.” Cringing noticeably at just the thought, Kane made sure to let Jenny see.

  “I have never, nor would I ever have, wanted anything physical to do with you. So I want you to get it through that thick head of yours that you have never had a chance with me.” Hoping that would be enough to deter her, Kane realized quickly that he’d only made her more determined.

  Standing up beside their table, Jenny looked directly at Kane and, in an overly loud voice, said, “Your time is up, Kane Bryson. You and I will be married by the end of the month, or there will be hell to pay.”

  * * * *

  Turk had sat quietly and listened to this crazy lady spew her drivel, but when she issued her threat, he wasn’t going to sit idly by any longer.

  “You really are fucking crazy, aren’t you, Jenny? Do you not get it? Are you so self-possessed that you’ve put blinders on to what everyone else can clearly see?” Turk was making sure that his voice was just as loud as Jenny’s. He wanted to make sure that everyone was aware of just who held their attention.

  “You haven’t stood a chance with Kane. You had to set up some fake rape attempt ten years ago just so you could get close enough to destroy his relationship with Steph. How fucking pathetic is that? And even after all your tricks, he still didn’t even ask you out on a date, and now that Stephanie’s back you might as well set your sights on someone else, because this time he’s going to make sure she knows just how much she means to him, and if I have anything to say about it, it won’t be you walking down the aisle next month, it will be her.” Thunderous applause broke out in the diner after Turk’s little speech.

  “What do you mean, Stephanie’s back?” she said. It was all that Jenny seemed to focus on.

  “Exactly what he just told you, Jenny. I’m back, and although I can’t say I agree with a wedding in a month, after hearing your little spiel, I understand a hell of a lot more now.”

  * * * *

  “Well, well, well…look what the cat dragged in.” Jenny turned to face Stephanie for the first time in ten years. This was the woman who had broken her heart all those years ago, and it pissed Steph off that she had let it happen. Ten years ago when she’d walked in on Kane and Jenny, she should have given Kane a chance to explain, but instead, she ran like a scared, hurt little girl and left the best man she’d ever known behind, believing him to be a liar and a cheat. Not only was she pissed at Jenny, but she was also pissed at herself.

  “So how long are you here for, Steph? Maybe you and I can have lunch while you’re here on your visit.” Stephanie smiled, knowing how much Jenny hoped that she would be leaving soon.

  “Oh, I don’t think I would be able to stomach lunch with you, Jenny. And besides, I’ve got so much to do now that I own the Kinsey Pictorial. There is just so much to catch up on around here, as well as mending a few fences.” Steph looked directly at Kane and smiled.

  Stephanie watched as Kane sat there like a cat that’d just swallowed a canary. And she hated it. She knew now just how truly foolish she had been ten years ago. There was a noticeable silence around the whole diner at Stephanie’s announcement. It seemed like everyone was just waiting for the next shoe to drop, and Jenny wasn’t
about to disappoint them.

  “You own the newspaper,” she said laughing. “Well, I can see that business going under real quick.” Looking around the diner with her fake smile, Jenny was hoping to see some form of support but realized she was sadly mistaken.

  Joe had come over to enjoy the excitement, bringing along their burgers and sitting down to join Kane and Turk.

  “Do you know who this is, Jenny? Do you have any idea at all?” Joe started to laugh.

  “Of course I do, Joe. She’s the same little girl who couldn’t take the competition for her man, so she ran away.” Jenny’s smile was pure malice when she looked at Steph.

  Joe couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer and was quickly joined by three quarters of the patrons in the diner.

  “What the hell is so funny, Joe? It’s just Stephanie Morrison, our own hometown princess.” Jenny kept looking around at different people, trying to get a handle on why everyone was laughing so hard.

  “You know, Jenny, you really should get your head out of your ass once in a while. Maybe then you’d find out that there are more important things in this world than you.” Joe sneered at her.

  “Stephanie is the former editor in chief of the largest paper in the country. She was also the youngest. She’s won numerous awards for not only her writing but for her editorial style as well. So, her taking over the paper is probably the best thing to happen around here in a long time. She has some great ideas to bring the paper up-to-date and even plans of having a gossip column. Which I’m sure you’ll figure prominently in, Jenny.”

  * * * *

  Moving past Jenny, Stephanie went to stand beside Kane, placing a proprietary hand on his shoulder. Glancing down, she smiled when she felt his hand cover hers.

  “Ten years ago, I was young and stupid and allowed a spoiled, petulant woman-child to scare me away from someone who was, at the time, becoming very important to me. I fucked up royally and have a lot to make up for, but in some ways you also did me a huge favor. I was so pissed when I left here that I worked nonstop for the next five years until I ran into Joe, and he talked me into buying part of the paper.” She knew that would be a surprise to Kane because she’d made it part of the deal that no one would know she owned any of it.