One More Kiss (Forsaken Sons Book 1) Read online

  One More Kiss

  By Elizabeth Lennox

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  Copyright 2021

  ISBN13: 9781950451333

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited, unless you have the direct consent of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Excerpt to “Her Twin Surprise”

  Chapter 1

  “Are you kidding me?” Kinsley McCabe whispered as she stared at the huge, grey-green, windowless warehouse. She checked the address again. “This is it, but….” There were no other cars in the parking lot…and it was difficult to even call this a parking lot. Was she in the right place?

  The roar of a powerful engine shattered the quiet and she swung around, startled. A motorcycle raced around the corner of the long, winding driveway. She wasn’t aware of her mouth falling open as the sleek motorcycle came to a halt beside her sensible, silver Prius.

  When the motorcycle engine cut off, there was an almost deafening silence. But it wasn’t the bike that had so completely captured her attention.

  Kinsley knew staring was rude, but for some reason, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the mysterious rider. He wore a leather bomber jacket that someone else probably would have thrown away years ago. She imagined he probably kept it because it made his shoulders look impossibly broad.

  Then her eyes moved lower, her breath caught in her throat as she noticed the hard muscles in his long legs shifting under worn denim as his boot flipped the stand out. The man stood, leaning the motorcycle carefully onto the stand as he swung his leg over the bike in an oddly graceful movement.

  Kinsley’s reaction felt odd to her, but she couldn’t seem to look away as he removed his helmet. Dark, shaggy hair curled around the man’s rugged features and Kinsley’s gasp was heard by both the man as well as the squirrel off to the side. He had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. Molten silver eyes that sparkled mysteriously with flecks of gold. Only dragons had eyes like that.

  “Are you Kinsley McCabe?” the darkly demonic man asked.

  It took her several moments to respond since she had to replay the question in her mind several times before it made sense.

  When she finally nodded, the man’s silver gaze sharpened. “I was told that you were efficient.”

  Efficient. Again, Kinsley had to roll the word around in her thoughts, trying to remember the meaning. When it finally registered, she nodded jerkily, unaware that her mouth was still hanging open. The man didn’t quite laugh at her, but amusement sparkled in those smoldering eyes.

  Snapping her mouth closed, she schooled her expression, trying to hide her unexplainable fascination as the man pulled off leather gloves unveiling long, sensuous fingers.

  “Yes, I’m Kinsley McCabe. And yes, I’m quite efficient. And on time,” she emphasized, looking pointedly towards her watch. Kinsley wasn’t sure why she’d said that. “The employment agency mentioned that you needed an assistant who could translate technical notes, transcribe them, and generally keep things organized.”

  His lips curled up into an oddly amused smile. Okay, not a full smile. It was sort of a half-smile. Only the left side of his mouth curved upwards, revealing a dimple in his cheek that completely transformed his features from darkly demon-like to angelic. Kinsley wasn’t fooled. This man in the soft, sexy jeans and the leather jacket…he wasn’t an angel. She’d done her research and knew he was a genius. Literally, a world renowned technical and mechanical genius.

  Lincoln looked down at the sexy, cute woman, chuckling at the clear disapproval in her blue eyes. He’d always loved the combination of dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Maybe it was the mutt in him, or the utter lack of knowledge about his ancestors, but he was intrigued by anyone that looked more…old-school. Although, Lincoln doubted that this adorably prim woman would appreciate being thought of as a “old-school”. No, he suspected that she would be quite irritated by that description. Which made him mentally pocket that description for later use. He could imagine that sexy, rosebud mouth falling open again when he used that term.

  “Let’s go inside and we can talk,” he told her, nodding towards the door of the non-descript warehouse.

  Lincoln moved towards the door, his long legs taking one step for every three of hers. She was a tiny, little thing, he thought, reaching out to touch the handle, waiting a brief moment before tugging it open.

  “I’ve been a personal assistant to three chief executives already, and I submitted recommendations from each of those men to you through the employment agency. I type one hundred and ten words a minute with an accuracy of ninety-nine point three. You also asked for someone with technical experience. Although I don’t have formal knowledge of some industries, I earned a bachelors of science degree in computer science. So, I understand technical aspects of many projects. Anything I don’t understand, I have the background to research until my knowledge is adequate.”

  Lincoln listened to her list several more details of her background knowledge, something about taking chemistry and physics classes, understanding the terms and something else. He’d stopped listening to the actual words as they moved through the hallways of the warehouse until they reached the last door. Again, he placed his hand on the handle, waited a moment as he looked down at her, then tugged it open.

  “And I’ve also listed….”

  Lincoln tossed his helmet and leather gloves onto the chair by the door, then turned to look at Ms. Kinsley McCabe, wondering what had caused her sudden silence.

  He barely swallowed a laugh when he watched her wide, blue eyes moving over the numerous tables piled high with - what a casual observer might assume - was chaos. But each worktable held the parts for each of the projects he was currently working on.

  “I just…” she stammered, scanning the tables again. Then she seemed to pull herself together, folded her pretty hands with the pink nails together over her stomach and nodded firmly. “Yes!” She declared aloud.

  “Yes?” he prompted, not sure what she was confirming.

  She looked up at him, an adorably determined expression on her face. “Yes. I can organize this for you!”

  He couldn’t help it. Lincoln burst out laughing, shaking his head as he walked down the center of the row of tables. “Don’t touch anything on my work benches. Everything you see here is a work in progress.”

  “Yes, but…”

  He stopped, but she didn’t notice since she was still taking in the space, so she literally ran into him. Damn, she was soft! Soft and curvy and those big, blue eyes blinked up at him with confusion.

  “This?” she whispered, obviously horrified. “This
is organized to you?” She waved vaguely, encompassing the room.

  “Absolutely,” he replied. He continued down the aisle towards the back, where his office was located. Once inside, he sat down at his desk, waving her into the chair opposite.

  “Thank you.” She perched on the edge of the chair and Lincoln smiled slightly.

  “So, tell me about yourself.”

  She shifted slightly. “I’ve already given you a brief summary of my skills. I’m also…”

  “No,” he interrupted. “It will be just me and you in this warehouse most days. I have a staff, but they don’t work here most of the time. Only when we’re launching a product will you see them here. So tell me about you, Ms. McCabe. Working in close quarters with someone means that we will get to know each other very well.”

  Those sky blue eyes were shockingly beautiful, he thought. And those lips once again pressed into adorable disapproval.

  She took a deep breath and his eyes moved lower, glancing at her stiff, white shirt. He couldn’t determine what was underneath, and couldn’t help wondering. Something soft, he thought. Soft and adorably sexy.

  “Well, I’m twenty-eight years old, but you already knew that.”

  He didn’t actually. But Lincoln didn’t comment on her age. Most people had dismissed him when he’d come up with his first patent at the age of nineteen. That invention, a new carburetor that increased fuel efficiency in cars by about seven point eight percent and with an additional cost to each vehicle of only three dollars, had made him more than half a million dollars in the first year. Nobody dismissed his next invention, a small cylinder that increased the stability of cars, improving safety, when he’d announced it at the age of twenty. Fifteen years later, at thirty-five, Lincoln had about forty patents to his name and more money than he could spend in several lifetimes. So in his mind, age was just a number. It was a point in time, not an indication of experience or wisdom.

  “Your requirements mentioned that you’re looking for someone who can potentially work long hours. I don’t have children, yet, but I’m engaged to be engaged. I don’t know if that would be a problem.”

  Lincoln ignored the stab of…whatever…that he felt at that announcement. So she was engaged…well, engaged to be engaged. He had no idea what that meant. Lincoln wasn’t in the market for a wife, so a married assistant would actually be a benefit.

  “My boyfriend, Carl, works as a programmer. So, we’re perfectly suited for each other.”

  Lincoln had obviously missed a lot since he had no idea why this adorable creature was “perfectly suited” to a programmer. They’d probably have one point nine four children with plastic pocket protectors in their shirt pockets. More power to them, he thought, shifting in his chair.

  “Do you like to travel?”

  “Oh yes!” she gasped, then realized that her response might have been a bit too enthusiastic. “I mean, yes. I enjoy traveling. I don’t get to do much of it because of work. But I was told by the agency that travel would be part of this job and I’m fully on board.”

  “Your fiancé won’t mind you being gone?”

  A pretty blush stole up Ms. McCabe’s cheeks as she shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. Carl and I have discussed this. He doesn’t like to travel. At all,” she said and Lincoln detected an odd tone to her words. “So, he enthusiastically encouraged me to apply for this job. He said that this sort of opportunity would allow me to travel and he wouldn’t have to accompany me.” She shrugged, but Lincoln didn’t think that the gesture was dismissive so much as…accepting. An interesting reaction, he thought.

  Leaning back in his leather chair, he toyed with the baseball on his desk. “Where would you travel if you could go anywhere?”

  She laughed delightedly as the stiffness in her shoulders began to ease. “Oh my!” She glanced up at the ceiling. “Anywhere! I’ve lived in Washington State all my life. I’ve never even been across the border to Oregon or Idaho, much less into Canada.” She sighed and Lincoln took that to mean…well, he wasn’t sure what that sigh meant. Not yet. “With after school jobs and college and…” she shrugged absently, “I worked very long hours for my previous employers, so there wasn’t much opportunity to travel.” She looked horrified and leaned forward, holding out one of her hands. “Not that I mind the long hours!” she told him. “I mean, I actually prefer long hours.”

  “Do you have any hobbies?” Lincoln asked, fascinated by the wealth of expressions that passed over her face.

  “Hobbies?” she parroted, looking confused. “Um…I don’t really…,” she paused, then her spine straightened again. “I crochet!” she admitted excitedly. “I love to crochet!”

  He chuckled. “What do you crochet?”

  Her shoulders wiggled, and once again, he could see her enthusiasm for her project. “Hats! I don’t know why, but I love to crochet hats.”

  “Interesting.” The fact that she loved to crochet hats wasn’t as interesting as her reaction. She looked as if she’d discovered the cure for cancer. He liked that about her. “What else?”

  Her smile vanished and he felt like a true bastard because of whatever was going through her mind now.

  His eyes lowered and he noticed that her fingers were tightly clenched around each other. “I don’t really…well, I read. A lot. I really love to read!”

  “What do you prefer to read?”

  He saw the blush stain her cheeks and wondered about it. But not for long.

  “Well, I love romance, but also mysteries and espionage.”

  “No non-fiction?”

  She shrugged daintily. “I’m sure there is a lot of non-fiction out in the world that is exhilarating. Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan.”

  He grinned, but more because she looked as if she’d just failed a test. It was fascinating to watch her, he realized. “Fair enough. What else?”

  She tilted her head. “Does there have to be more?”

  He looked at her, wondering what she did for fun. Besides crochet hats, he corrected. “I guess not. Just asking.”

  “Is my lack of hobbies going to discourage you from hiring me?”

  Quickly, he shook his head, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on the desk and he put the baseball down in the nest of pens and pencils that he kept in a coffee cup. “Not at all. Just wondering.”

  “Good. Because I don’t think that one’s personal life should have much of a bearing on an applicant’s prospects.”

  “I agree. You’re hired.” He went on to explain the salary, which was twice what she’d made at her last job, plus full health care coverage, dental, vision, and matching retirement funds. “So, when can you start?”

  Kinsley blinked, not sure what to say. She was hired? Just like that? Wasn’t he going to test her knowledge of technical terms? Shouldn’t he give her a typing test? She’d only told him her qualifications. Wasn’t he going to do a background check? A financial check? Anything?!

  “Don’t you want to check my references?”

  “Nope.” He stood up and stretched his arms up over his head before handing her a folder. “Here are the employment forms, including a non-disclosure agreement. Out of everything, this form,” he pulled out the NDA, “is the most important. Everything that I do here must be kept completely within these walls. You can’t even hint to your boyfriend, husband, fiancé, mother, father, sister, brother or best friend what I’m working on.” With that, he walked out of the office.

  Kinsley grabbed the file and hurried after him. “Um…well…”

  “Read over the forms,” he called out over his shoulder. “Then be back here tomorrow morning. I’ll take you on a tour of the place, show you your office, and explain your responsibilities.”

  She blinked, then realized that he was waiting at the door for her to leave.

  Rushing through the door, she glanced around, reeling with everything he’d just told her. “Yes. Tomorrow morning.”

  “See you at eight o’clock, Kinsley.” He gra
bbed his leather jacket and helmet, and followed her out. “It’s going to be great working with you.”

  A moment later, he settled onto his bike, flicked some switches, and the motorcycle roared to life. He pulled the helmet and the leather gloves on and, with barely a nod in her direction, drove away.

  Kinsley stood next to her sensible Prius, wondering if that had really just happened. She’d been hired? She’d gotten the job? Well, that was…anticlimactic! She’d arrived this morning fully prepared to regale the man with her past projects, explain how she’d created a more efficient office environment, and assisted her previous employers with her skills. But he hadn’t asked about her past work history. Just her hobbies?

  “Darn it!” she groaned, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “And I regale him with my crocheting! Excellent way to impress the man, Kinsley!”

  With a huff, she got into her Prius, carefully setting the folder onto the passenger seat. Then she pressed the button on the dashboard that would start her car and, with much less fanfare than the motorcycle, drove away.

  She’d gotten the job but…but what had she gotten herself into?

  Chapter 2

  Kinsley smoothed down the navy wool skirt, eager to start her first day and make a better impression than she had yesterday. This job was…odd, she thought. She’d done even more research on Lincoln Meyers last night and was completely fascinated. There weren’t many pictures of him available, and those that she did find were fuzzy and distant. The man definitely shied away from publicity. But that didn’t stop the rampant online speculation about what the man was like personally. Several of his previous mistresses had given glimpses into his personality, but when Kinsley had read those descriptions, she’d dismissed them. None were right. It was almost as if they were talking about a different person. The women definitely weren’t describing the enigmatic, powerfully quiet man she’d met the previous day.

  Even Carl had asked about Lincoln Meyers last night as she’d cooked dinner, but Kinsley had remembered his insistence on privacy. Oh, Kinsley knew that he’d been referring to his projects. But Kinsley suspected that Mr. Meyers didn’t want his personal life gossiped about either. So Kinsley hadn’t said anything. “I barely met the man,” she’d told her soon-to-be-fiancé over dinner. Which was the truth. They’d had a fifteen minute conversation. In no way did that conversation give her the right to say that she knew Mr. Lincoln Meyers in any way.