A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1)(145)

Carter cut off her adorable blathering with a searing kiss. He pulled back and smiled when he saw that her eyes remained closed and her lips were still in a needy pout. “You’re cute as hell when you ramble.”

“Shush,” she retorted, opening her eyes.

Carter laughed. “So you’re asking me if I’d like to spend Thanksgiving with you in Chicago, with your grandmother.”

Kat nodded. “I still have her car, which I need to take back, so we can drive there.”

Carter exhaled, a finger of anxiety creeping up his spine. “What about your mom? Will she be there?”

Kat shook her head. “No. They always spend Thanksgiving with Harrison’s family. She spends Christmas with Nana Boo.”

Carter nodded in understanding but couldn’t shake the wary feeling smack in the center of his chest. He had to hand it to Kat; she didn’t appear worried at all. She looked beautiful and hopeful that he would say yes, but Carter wasn’t entirely sure he could.

“You don’t have to make a decision now,” Kat said, seemingly sensing his unease. “Think about it.”

“I will,” he promised. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course.”

Shadows of unspoken words clouded her usually bright eyes. Carter frowned. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was small. “I’m … I’m great. Really. I just want you to myself for a while. Can we go back to the house? Is that okay?”

Carter leaned across the bench and kissed her again. “I’m all yours.” He took her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

*

Austin Ford stared hard at his reflection in the gilded mirror of his office’s private bathroom and grinned at what he saw. He had to confess; he was a handsome son of a bitch. His hair was thick and dark with small flecks of gray that suggested sophistication as opposed to age. His face was firm, with laugh lines around his eyes adding warmth, and his figure was trim and fit, hugged fantastically by the Armani suit adorning it.

Overall, life was pretty damned good.

Yes, he still had issues with a family member who would forever be the thorn in his side. But that shit would be handled, too. With the friends Austin had and the favors he was owed, Wes Carter would soon be behind bars again. It was just a question of when.

A burst of auburn wavy hair and large green eyes flashed in the back of Ford’s mind.

[page]Kat.

Austin had always considered himself a charming bastard, and to lose Kat’s affections to his shit-for-brains cousin stung more than he was willing to admit. What the hell did Carter have that he didn’t? Fuck if he knew. Besides, once her convict was back behind bars and she realized what a f*ckup he really was, she’d appreciate having a strong shoulder to cry on, a knight to save the day. Austin’s pulse quickened and his palms perspired, but he reined his thoughts in swiftly. Now was no time for being anywhere but on the f*cking ball.

He adjusted the large silk knot at his neck and took a deep breath.

Showtime.

He strode out of his bathroom and nodded sharply at Adam, who was, as always, looking like little boy lost.

“Get your shit together,” Austin snapped. He pressed the button for his secretary on the phone at the edge of his desk. “We need to own this.”

“Yeah,” came his brother’s reply.

“You can send him in,” Austin ordered.

Leaning against the desk, Austin looked squarely at his accounts manager and litigator, who both had straight business faces that would have made any normal grown man shit in his pants. Everything was perfect.