Stolen Desire (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #3) by Nova Raines, Mira Bailee Read Free Book Online Page B

to make new friends with good connections. “So you don't think 'who you know' matters? I'm pretty sure lots of people hire their friends in the entertainment industry.”
    He laughs. “Okay, some of that, too. But if you're not an asshole, it's not so hard to network and meet the people who will help you further your career.”
    “Well I don’t even know what I want to do for a career. And I'm not sure I’d have enough passion to be the best at anything.”
    “Well, you don't have to be the best. It's also fine to do something you enjoy and not be the best. The point is to keep working on it and enjoying yourself. That's why I keep cooking. I'll never be a chef, though.”
    That's when I think about the boxes from Boston. The ones I still haven't unpacked. There's one in there full of sketch books—drawings I haven't looked at for years… not since I left high school. “Actually, I used to love to sketch.”
    “You like to draw?”
    “Yeah. Just… clothes. Outfits. I loved coming up with new designs. But I probably wasn't very good at it. I stopped all that when I went to college. I focused more on wearing the clothes and less on coming up with new ideas.”
    “Well, there you go. Maybe you should start again.”
    “Maybe.”
    Kaidan's gold-flecked eyes are soft as he looks at me. “When you love something, you don't let it go.”

The “L” word sends my heart into a frenzy, and I murmur agreement, barely hearing myself.
    The chef shows up soon after, saving me from obsessing over the way Kaidan was looking at me when he said the word 'love,' and if there was any deeper layer of meaning there.
    I grab my purse, and Kaidan leads me to the front staircase.
    Serena and Calvin are on their way down, dressed casually in jeans. I don't think I've ever seen Calvin in jeans. Two of his personal guards wait at the door with an array of matching suitcases on a luggage cart.
    Calvin says something to his guards, and Serena waves at us brightly as she walks toward the door. “Headed out for rehearsal, then a weekend at the resort. See y'all later!”
    She doesn't even wait for a reply as she bounces through the door. But my heart is beating faster now, because I did notice one thing. No diamond. She wasn't wearing it. Was it in her luggage?
    I force myself to forget about it. I'm not stealing it. Theft is no longer an option. My lawyer is gonna fix this.
    Calvin shoots me a disapproving look, then completely ignores me. “I need to have a word with you, son.”
    “Wait for me upstairs?” Kaidan asks.
    I nod and head up the stairs. The maids are up here at the top of the stairs, tidying the bi-level party room that's a step down between the two staircases.
    Kaidan arrives a few minutes later, and his face is grim. He takes my hand and leads me to the right, down the hallway I didn't choose the last time I was up here.
    “Do you have any friends you'd like to invite tonight?” he asks tersely.
    I wonder what Calvin said to Kaidan to upset him, but it's none of my business. If he wanted to tell me, he would.
    “Um…” I think of Char, of how lonely she looked the other day in her movie room. I would love if she found someone. Maybe even one of Kaidan's friends. We could double date. “Actually, yes. My best friend Charlotte would probably love to come. You met her at the club.”
    “Sounds good. Give her a call.” He gestures down the hall with a sweep of his arm. “We have a few guest rooms on this side of the house, but it's mostly our private rooms.” He points to a door we're passing. “That's my room.”
    I guess we didn't have almost-sex in his room the first time after all. That room was in the other hallway.
    We go one more door down, and Kaidan leads me into a pretty room, feminine, with floral prints and a dark canopy bed. Heavy velvet curtains frame windows that span half the room. They look out over the trees next to the house and give a partial view of the ocean and beach in the distance.
    I