Beth Kery - Since I Saw You

“Lin hasn’t been all that fortunate with the men she’s dated in the past.”

He sensed the electrical thread in Ian’s seemingly neutral comment. He leaned forward in his chair. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, gaze narrowing.

“Just that. Very few men seem to have the ability to appreciate her character. Her refinements. Her sensitivities.”

“You make her sound like some kind of inbred show poodle,” Kam stated bluntly. He glanced impatiently around the confines of the coffeehouse, despising walls at that moment. “She’s a lot hardier than you make her out to be. Maybe you don’t know her all that well.”

“And you do?” Ian challenged, his quiet voice like steel. “Because I’d hate to see you put Lin in the same category as say . . . some of those hardy women you kept company with at Aurore, for instance.”

Kam’s gaze zoomed to meet his brother’s. Ian’s stare didn’t waver.

“Don’t get all holier-than-thou with me,” Kam seethed, shocked and infuriated at Ian’s reference. His brother had accidentally walked in on Kam engaging in the midst of some spontaneous recreation with two women last summer at Aurore. Ian had been circumspect enough not to mention the uncomfortable moment. That he brought it up now in association with Lin pissed off Kam royally. “Don’t try to convince me you led a monk’s existence before you met Francesca, because that’s just offensive. And Lin doesn’t have anything, whatsoever to do with that situation,” he emphasized by aggressively tapping his fingertips on the tabletop.

Ian’s gaze narrowed. Kam glared back. Finally, Ian exhaled.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said frankly.

Kam took his fisted hand off the table. Merde. He really didn’t want to fight with Ian. But dammit, why did he have to be so smug at times?

Because he usually knows exactly what he’s talking about, that’s why. He’s never given me bad advice before, and for whatever fucked-up reason, he seems to actually care.

And if he were in Ian’s shoes, wouldn’t he think of warning a guy like himself away from Lin? It was just common sense, wasn’t it? A woman like Lin would never find much worth for a man like Kam except for sex, and after tonight, she probably was second-guessing even that.

Kam heaved a sigh as well, feeling defeated, but not by Ian. The mounting tension between them had broken, although Kam wasn’t sure exactly why.

“Don’t bring Lin into this. It’s my fault. I’m the one that’s struggling with being here . . . this whole damn thing,” he mumbled, sinking back in his chair. “I’m a fish out of water.”

“If this particular line of business is unsuited to you, Kam, that’s something we can deal with,” Ian said quietly. “I don’t want that to be your sole focus here. This is your first visit to the States—to the city where Lucien and I have made our homes. Let’s make that the focus.”

Kam transferred his gaze to Francesca as she approached the table, giving him a bright smile. He tried to smile back, but his muscles twisted uncooperatively. He suspected he grimaced instead. “Why don’t you come to the penthouse right now for a cup of tea or something,” Ian said.

“Wonderful idea,” Francesca said, hearing the last as she arrived.

“Come on,” Ian urged. “We’ll have a talk. About whatever you want,” he added when he saw Kam’s hesitance. He certainly didn’t want to have any more incendiary conversations about Lin or Kam’s sex life. “It’s a beautiful night. We can turn on the fire pit up on the deck and sit under the stars.”

He gave Ian a sheepish glance, feeling doubly guilty about his outburst. Ian had guessed he’d reached his limit for crowds and civilized conversation and confinement. He really did read Kam well for having only known him nine months.

“Make that tea a bourbon and you’ve got a deal,” Kam mumbled, standing.

Did Kam think Lucien, Ian, and him would end up bosom brothers, the idealistic family featured in make-believe and television sitcoms? Not a chance. Not with their common screwed-up origins.

Still, there must have been a whisper of a promise of something that had enticed him out of his solitude and brought him to Chicago, he admitted to himself with dark amusement.

He trailed Ian and Francesca, who walked arm in arm, out of the bustling coffeehouse. Francesca paused abruptly, making Ian halt in turn. She extended her free hand to Kam with a warm smile. He hesitated a second before he took it, managing to return her smile this time without frowning. Or at least he hoped so.

The next morning, Lin methodically briefed Ian on how things had gone with the Gersbach meeting. Ian listened intently as he sat at his desk and she sat in her usual chair before it. She must have reinforced her defenses as she slept last night, because she felt back on track today . . . steadier. In the morning light, what had happened in that cloakroom with Kam seemed like an incredible dream—an exciting, forbidden dream, yes, but also a foreign one, as if she’d somehow tapped into someone else’s brain.

It was fortunate, this morning-light distance, because last night, she’d feared becoming completely unwound. The feeling was not entirely unfamiliar to her, a mild version of the numbness that settled upon her when she finally understood that her father and mother had left for Taiwan, leaving her behind for good.

“Why hasn’t Kam mentioned before that he’s uncomfortable with only a small portion of the population having his product?” Ian asked.

“You probably know the answer to that better than I do,” Lin replied.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Ian said slowly, studying her face.

“Your brother thinks a lot of things, Ian. The problem is getting him to reveal them. One has to either wait for the right opportunity for something to come out or pry the details out of him, and good luck with that,” she added wryly.

Ian’s smile was nearly imperceptible to someone unfamiliar with him. Lin immediately recognized it. “I have a feeling you might be more skilled at decoding Kam than any of us. Do you think it’s worthwhile to even continue with these meetings, given his preference for his product?”

“He says he wants to continue. He wouldn’t tell me why, exactly, except to agree that it was good experience.” She hesitated.

“But? Why do you think he’s doing it? You know I value your opinion,” Ian said intently.

“At first, I thought Kam was nervous about these meetings because he felt out of place, like an outsider. Awkward.”

“Not to mention being completely derisive of the industry,” Ian added, a smile tickling his mouth again.

“Right,” Lin agreed.

“But now? You’ve changed your mind about where he stands?”

She met Ian’s stare. “Kam might feel uncomfortable in formal social situations, but I don’t think it’s his biggest concern. If your brother were curious about something, he’d find a way to get answers. And he is curious,” she assured with a significant glance. “It’s like . . . he’s on a scouting mission or something. He’s getting the lay of the land.”

“You make it sound like he’s planning a battle,” Ian said wryly.

“Not a battle, no. But he’s planning something.”

“What?”

Lin shrugged. “His future company? His life?” she replied uncertainly, saying the first things that came to mind. “Circumstances outside of his control have always kept Kam from doing that in a proactive sense. Trevor Gaines’s neglect and emotional abuse, his mother’s illness, lack of financial security. For the first time in his life, he’s got this amazing product, millions of dollars, supportive people. If I were him, I’d relish taking control and constructing the exact future I wanted, wouldn’t you?”

“No doubt.”

She told Ian about Kam’s request for her to set up tours for him of telecommunications-sector companies in the city. “He’s brewing on possible alternative purposes for his invention, immersing himself in the industry, wetting his feet in a way he couldn’t living in isolation,” she explained. “It might make him uncomfortable to do it, but he’s not the type of man to back down from a challenge because of his lack of social graces. It’s seems very odd to say it, but he genuinely doesn’t care what other people think of him. He’s never admitted it, but I think he’s curious about the premier watchmakers, despite his disdain for luxury. I don’t think he’d suffer these meetings with them for any other reason.”

Ian took a moment to absorb her information. “I think you’re right,” he murmured thoughtfully after a moment. “I guessed right away Kam was a very complex individual. He makes the world believe he’s this social misfit, when really he’s more complicated than his inventions. Do you like him?”

His unexpected question made her blink. “Yes,” she admitted honestly before she could engineer a lie. “He’s a puzzle at times, but I like that about him. He’s extremely original. He never ceases to surprise.”

“You seemed less thrilled with him yesterday, here in the office,” Ian observed dryly.

She glanced away from his lancing blue-eyed stare. “As you know, Kam can also be a bit . . .”

“Stubborn? Arrogant? Contemptuous?”

Lin cleared her throat. “Yes, all of those things.”

Ian nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry. You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. He nearly goaded me into a fistfight last night at the Coffee Boutique.”

“What?” Lin asked, alarmed. Was this a result of what had happened in the cloakroom, or more accurately, her leaving without Kam? “You?”