Summary: Sutton gets a little jealous, and Kenji reassures her she doesn’t need to be. Set sometime before that super sexy diamond scene in the last chapter of Book 1.
Sutton doesn’t get jealous. Or at least, she tells herself she doesn’t get jealous. But she can’t think of the right word to describe the irritation she feels when the cute girl who’s started showing up to The Grand constantly hits on Kenji, and she refuses to say she might be jealous.
It’s stupid, she tells herself. She denies it when Poppy tells her it’s okay to feel bothered by it. She scowls at Kenji and almost snaps at him that nothing’s wrong when he asks why she looks so annoyed every time she’s at The Grand now.
“I’m not jealous!” Sutton insists to Poppy one night, aggressively swirling the straw in her drink. “She’s just…annoying.”
Poppy glances at Kenji at the other end of the bar, the pretty girl’s hand on his arm as she leans in, giggling at something he’s said.
“Sutton-“
Sutton sighs. “Fine. I’m jealous. It’s stupid. We’re not technically exclusive. I need another drink.”
Poppy smiles sympathetically, waving the bartender over and ordering them both another drink. Sutton sips at it, purposely avoiding looking in Kenji’s direction. He strolls over later in the evening, frowning when Sutton barely says “Hi” to him, though he doesn’t push it. When he walks off, Sutton excuses herself to the bathroom. She stares at her reflection in the mirror as she washes her hands, muttering to herself about how ridiculous she’s being.
She steps out of the bathroom and almost shrieks when she runs right into Kenji.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Waiting for you,” he shrugs.
“Why?”
A frustrated look crosses his face. “You’ve been ignoring me.”
Sutton snorts, pushing past him. He gently touches her arm. “Sutton.”
Sutton puffs out a noisy breath. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
The pretty girl makes her way down the hall, giving Sutton a dirty look and smiling at Kenji. Sutton rolls her eyes.
“Of course,” she mutters.
Kenji glances up at the girl, his brow furrowing, then suddenly grabs Sutton’s hand and drags her into his office.
“What are you-“ she’s cut off as Kenji closes and locks the door, his eyes locked on hers.
She senses him reaching for her, just feels the brush of his fingers over her hips, and then he lowers his hands and lets out a frustrated sigh.
“Is that what this is about?” he asks.
His office is dark and intimate and almost silent, and she’s acutely aware of how close he is, can feel him staring down at her.
“I don’t know what-“
“Sutton,” he interrupts her. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Excuse me?” she snaps, irritated when her voice quivers slightly.
She blames it on the alcohol, knowing full well that’s not what it is. It’s Kenji, this undeniably cocky, charming, irresistible man standing in front of her that she keeps refusing to admit she’s falling for. She doesn’t do relationships. This was supposed to be casual, a no-strings-attached thing with someone she was wildly attracted to and had fun with and wanted to spend time with and…oh.
Oh crap, she thinks to herself.
“I don’t want her,” Kenji murmurs next to her ear.
He takes one of her hands, the other cupping her face, his thumb running over her cheekbone.
Sutton shrugs, even as her heart starts pounding. “You can do whatever you want, Kenji,” she says, trying desperately to sound unconcerned. “We’re not together.”
Kenji’s face falls just slightly. “We’re not,” he agrees.
He leans in, his nose brushing hers. “But that doesn’t mean I want anyone else. I don’t.”
Sutton swallows hard at the look on his face, her resolve crumbling, then slowly walks her other hand up his chest to slip around his neck. Her fingers play with the ends of his dark hair as she exhales softly.
“I just want you, Sutton,” Kenji says, releasing her hand so he can bring both arms around her back.
His lips find hers, and she sighs, her eyes closing as they kiss in the dark quiet of his office. One of his hands wanders back up her side, running over her arm, then buries in her hair. They walk to his couch, Kenji groaning when she straddles him, and they part just long enough to suck in a few breaths.
Kenji nudges her to lay down, hovering over her. He kisses her deeply, slowly, tracing his tongue over her bottom lip, one of her hands clenching the back of his red leather jacket. Her other hand runs down his chest and over his ribs, giggling when he squirms.
“The mighty Talos is ticklish?” she teases him.
Sutton feels him smirk against her mouth, pressing another kiss to her lips before lifting his head up.
“Kenji is ticklish,” he corrects her. “Talos has no weaknesses.”
She files his statement away for later, reminding herself to test that theory sometime.
“What other weaknesses does Kenji have?” Sutton asks.
“Darjeeling tea and beautiful, sexy women named Sutton Thompson who get jealous for no reason,” he answers smoothly, and laughs when Sutton swats his chest and scowls.
“I wasn’t jealous,” she protests. “I was…”
She’s distracted when Kenji brushes feather light kisses down her neck, tilting her head to give him better access.
“I was…mmm…” she whimpers quietly, fingers digging into his jacket when he sucks lightly at the tender skin of her throat.
“I was jealous,” she finally admits with a sigh.
Kenji chuckles against her, nipping at her collarbone. “So now I know…you have a weakness for Kenji Katsaros.”
Sutton smirks. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
He stops suddenly, sitting back on the couch, looking down at her with a determined expression. “Are you saying I need to be more charming, Sutton?”
“You have enough charm for this entire town,” she laughs.
Kenji’s lips quirk up, and he pulls her upright, holding her flush against him. “So I need to be more seductive?”
“I didn’t-“
He cuts her off again, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her so deeply, so thoroughly, that she’s flushed and panting and makes a quiet noise in protest when he finally stops. Kenji watches her patiently, a smirk playing over his lips, waiting for her to say something. Sutton tries to think of a quick remark, something snarky, but nothing comes to her, so she gives up and leans in again, kissing him desperately.
His hands are eager and hurried as he pulls at her clothes, discarding her shirt and pants and bra carelessly across the couch and the floor. She impatiently pushes his jacket off, then his shirt, grinning at the way his muscles clench and he sucks in a breath when she kisses down his chest and stomach before undoing the zipper and button on his pants.
When she gets the rest of his clothes off and kicks out of her underwear, Kenji stares at her with glittering eyes, his hands caressing her hips, ghosting up her flat stomach and over her breasts. He traces his fingers across her thighs, leaning down and kissing over her neck and shoulders. She moans quietly as he finds her most sensitive spots and at the words he’s murmuring against her.
“Turn around, darling,” he says in her ear after a minute.
She does, feels his breath warm against the back of her neck, his hands gripping her hips and pulling her against him, making goosebumps erupt across her skin. Kenji presses a slow kiss to the top of her spine, and Sutton shivers as he trails his lips across her back. He brushes her hair aside, lightly nipping at the curve of her neck, and she threads her fingers with his.
When he turns her back around, she loops her arms around his neck, pressing against him, a smile curving across her lips when he curses quietly.
“Mmm,” she murmurs, letting one of her hands trail between them.
She can almost feel his ego swell. “Was that seductive enough for you, darling?”
“Shut up, Kenji,” Sutton grumbles, kissing him hard and pushing him toward the couch.
Kenji grins. “I’ll take that as a yes.”