Kiss Me (Townsend Legacy)

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

T ania

“I wonder if holding someone against their will is illegal in Korea?” I ask out loud as I open my suite’s door for Taehyun.

Despite the facade I put on, I have to do my level best to ignore how damn good he looks in a forest green, ribbed turtleneck, black jeans, and a pair of black ski boots. I typically find all dark off-putting.

I love color, hence how my signature, colorful braids came to be one of my trademarks.

Yet—and I hate to admit this—on him it works.

Bastard.

His gaze turns skyward as a look of contemplation passes over his handsome features.

“I believe it is. Why?”

I shrug with one shoulder. “I just wondered if you realized what you’re doing is illegal.” I pause for emphasis. “Because it is also against the law in this country.”

That mysterious sparkle enters his eyes. Why do I know he has a special sort of glint in his eyes whenever he’s about to say or do something mischievous? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I met this man.

I should not know his facial expressions by now.

“I have the strangest feeling that you’re trying to tell me something,” he replies.

I make an annoyed sound at the back of my throat. “Smart ass,” I mumble.

“What was that?”

“I said?—”

“Oh my, you must be Taehyun Kim,” Liza interrupts as she enters the hallway from the elevator.

I smirk as she’s right on time.

Taehyun spins, and though I can only make out his profile, I don’t miss the way his eyes narrow on my assistant.

Instinctively, I move in front of Liza, getting in between her and the man who’s technically blackmailing me. He can say or do whatever he wants to me, but he will not get ahold of my assistant.

“I’m glad you two hadn’t left already,” Liza says, oblivious to Taehyun’s glare on her. “I thought I was going to be late. I had to go remind the front desk about tomorrow morning’s alarm time.”

She comes beside me. “I’m not late, right?”

“Nope.” I nod and glance down at my watch. “5:55.”

Liza’s perpetually early.

“And you are?” Taehyun’s deep voice interrupts.

Liza’s smile is wide as she sticks out her hand. “My apologies. I’m Liza Simmons. Tania’s assistant.”

He drops his eyes to her hand.

For a second, I think he’s going to be rude and not shake her hand. But Liza’s hand only remains empty for a beat before he takes it.

His expression quickly changes.

It brightens as he turns on a thousand-watt smile at the same time he takes her hand in his.

A breath expels from my mouth, making me realize I’d been holding it.

“I hope you don’t mind, Tania asked me to join you both this evening,” Liza says, looking between the two of us. “You know, just to help not give the impression that this is a date.”

“Did she?” Taehyun’s voice noticeably deepens as he levels a look at me.

Something bordering on wicked and sweet sparks in my chest.

“Yes, you never know when you might get bored of putting up with me and I’ll need my assistant’s help getting around,” I say as I toss a handful of my braids over my shoulder before peering down at my red sparkly nails.

“Speaking of …” Liza peers at my still opened door over my shoulder. “Where’s your crutch? After this morning’s photoshoot, you shouldn’t put too much weight on your ankle for too long.”

She doesn’t wait for me to respond before she dashes back into the suite. Though the living room area of the suite is shared between the two of us, we have separate bedrooms and bathrooms.

While I stare at my assistant’s back as she disappears into the suite, I can feel Taehyun watching me. Like a magnet, my attention is pulled back in his direction.

He drops his chin as he remains focused on me.

I don’t like the way his top lip curls in amusement. “She doesn’t know.”

Three small words but they feel like a sucker punch right to the stomach.

I tighten my lips and shake my head, everything inside of me not wanting to but ready to beg him not to tell Liza my secret.

“Found it,” Liza calls out as she exits the suite, one of my two crutches in her hand. “I know you’d freak out if I tried to bring both of them, but you should definitely have at least one. Here you go,” she doesn’t just hand me the crutch.

Liza practically lifts my arm, placing it under my right armpit. “How’s your ankle?” She reminds me of a mother checking on her kid.

“I’ve got her,” Taehyun says before I can answer.

He not so discreetly moves the crutch from my hold, placing his arm around my waist, all but insisting that I lean on him for support.

I want to tell him that I don’t need his damn help. Mostly because I don’t like the way my body heat rises from his nearness.

Or how damn good he smells.

I have to fight the urge to lean into him even more to sniff his neck. The smell is a mix of peppermint, cacao and pure masculinity.

“O-okay,” Liza says, her eyes swinging between the two of us.

Taehyun doesn’t pay her much attention as he moves my crutch to his free hand and tightens his hold around my body.

I clear my throat. “Um, a-are you going to tell me where you’re taking me tonight?” I ask because it’s the only thing I can think to do given the awkwardness of our current situation.

“We’re taking part in a gingerbread house competition.”

Taehyun

The look on Tania’s face when I told her about the gingerbread house competition shouldn’t have been as funny as it was.

Nor should having her tucked underneath my arm feel as damn good as it does. Yet, here the hell we are.

“I can hang out here in the lobby and wait for you two,” Liza says as we enter one of the smaller dining areas here at the resort. This one is about a quarter mile from the main dining hall where I first spotted Tania with her assistant this afternoon.

“No, you can’t wait out here,” Tania insists.

“This looks like a private family thing.” Liza peaks around the both of us into the doors that lead to the private room that’s been rented out for the evening.

“It is,” I respond.

Tania peers up at me and though I’m not looking at her, I know she’s glaring. She’s protective over her assistant. And not only to keep her from finding out her secret.

“Which is why it’s my pleasure to have you as my special guests. Both of you,” I say. “The Townsends won’t mind a few more entries to the competition.”

Within seconds of the words coming from my mouth voices from the entrance, interrupt us. The first few members of the Townsend family begin pouring through the door.

Tania’s body tightens against mine.

This is an act . I remind myself.

She doesn’t really need me for physical support.

Her ankle’s fine.

Yet, I pull her closer, holding her tighter as if she truly might fall without my assistance.

“Taehyun, we missed you earlier at lunch,” Kyle Townsend, my cousin’s brother-in-law comments upon first seeing me.

He peers down at Tania and his eyebrows spike. “We meet again.”

“Tania, you’re here too?”

“Ladybug, where are your manners?” Riley, Kyle’s wife scolds their almost thirteen-year-old daughter.

“Sorry, I mean, Ms. Casey,” the girl corrects.

“Tania’s fine.” She looks up at me with uncertainty in her expression. I have to force myself to tear my attention away from her toward Eve.

“She decided to join us for a little friendly competition. I hope that’s alright?” I ask, although it’s not truly a question.

“The more the merrier,” Kennedy, my cousin’s wife says as she comes up behind her brother.

Dae isn’t too far behind his wife, wrapping his arm around her as he lifts an eyebrow looking toward me.

“You’re Kennedy Townsend,” Tania says, surprising just about everyone.

“Kim,” Dae corrects. “Kennedy Townsend-Kim.”

“She’s still a Townsend,” Kyle glares over at Dae, causing his wife to admonish him.

“Damn straight, she is,” a deep, booming voice enters the picture.

I don’t have to see him to know the voice belongs to Aaron Townsend, CEO of Townsend Industries and Kennedy and Kyle’s father.

“She’ll always be a Townsend,” he says as he glares over at my cousin.

“Aaron, don’t start,” his wife, Kennedy’s mother interjects before pulling her daughter and then my cousin into a hug. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Where’s Stasi?” Eve asks.

“She decided to redo her hair. She’ll be here soon,” Patience Townsend answers. “Why don’t we go in and start setting up?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt out your name like that,” Tania says looking at Kennedy. “I love your podcast,” she comments.

My cousin’s wife’s face lights up. “Thank you. I’m a fan of yours as well. I was bummed to hear about your ankle. I hope it’s healing well.”

Tania clears her throat. “Yeah…” she hesitates and looks up at me. “It’s, uh, still a little tender but it’s on the mend.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Though you’ve already met, I should still make introductions,” I finally interrupt. “Tania and I met on the slopes earlier today and she graciously agreed to be my date for the evening.”

“Date?” Dae and Tania both speak at the same time.

I glare down at her, realizing my arm remains around her waist. “That’s what I said.”

She levels a look at me.

“Slopes?” Kennedy questions. “You were on the slopes?”

“No, uh, well, I miss being out in the snow even though I can’t get on my board. I went out for a little fresh air and came across Taehyun here.”

A half-smile crests on my face. She lies almost as well as I do.

“I bet he made you an offer you couldn’t refuse,” Dae says while staring at me.

“I’m nothing if not a man of negotiation.” I stare my cousin in the eyes. His narrow and I know he’s reading more into it than what meets the eye.

I’m certain I’ll get questions about it later.

“It looks like more people are pouring in. Shall we head inside?” I ask.

Tania tries to move away, but I trap her to me, holding her back until the others have entered the dining space the family has rented out for the night.

“There should be a space for you as well, Liza,” I tell her assistant, who obviously is uneasy about leaving the two of us.

My hold on Tania, though silent, tells anyone watching that I’m not about to let either one of us move until I’m good and damn ready.

“Okay,” Liza replies with a head gesture before following the rest of the large Townsend family inside.

“I can’t believe you invited me to a private dinner with the entire Townsend family.”

I glance around.

“There’s no one else out here. You don’t have to whisper,” I reply.

She pushes out a sigh of frustration making her nostrils flare. “You’re utterly impossible.”

A chuckle spills from my lips. “Strangely, my mother used to say the same thing.”

“I bet. Did she also tell you how much of a pain in the ass you are?”

I ponder for a bit. “Once or twice.”

“Ridiculous.” She shoves away from me. “This is what you have planned for the rest of your time here at the resort? Making me pose for pictures or whatever you have in mind?”

“Hm, I hadn’t thought about the picture thing just yet.” I lift a shoulder. “Then again, I’m not much of a social media guy. My sister’s always getting on me about it. According to her, I have a face that Instagram would love. She claims it’d bring in even more traffic to our clubs.”

I turn my face away, giving her an image of my profile.

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re worse than the time I belly-flopped on an easy backside alley-oop in front of my first crush.”

I whistle low. “That bad, huh?” I give her another shrug. “Well, at least it’s not as bad as the backside quad you failed to land which cost you the X Games’ gold medal two years ago.”

“You son of a—” She huffs. “It was a backside quad one-eighty. Do you know how difficult those damn things are?”

Another chuckle inadvertently falls from my mouth. It’s a genuine laugh, too. Not one of those put on chuckles I give while in the middle of one of my negotiations.

“I tried once,” I admit.

Tania’s eyebrows spike. “You snowboard.”

“I’m no Tania Casey but I can hold my own.”

Again, I find my eyes lingering on her lips because for the first time she gives me an honest smile. The muscles of my stomach tighten.

I want to keep seeing that smile on her face. My heartbeat begins to pick up at this realization.

“Are you guys coming in?”

I turn to see Kennedy waiting expectedly.

Tania takes a step, but I stop her with my hand on her waist. I lean in. “You shouldn’t move so quickly on a sprained ankle.”

She peers up at me and her expression is almost thankful.

This is the moment I probably should start panicking because, again, I want to keep that expression on her face. As long as I’m the one she’s giving it to.