Just One Night (The Kingston Family #1) - Carly Phillips Page 0,3
the desperation in her tone obvious.
His entire body tensed at the sound. “Sorry, I’m beat. I need to go. Bye.”
He disconnected the call, and before he could think through what he was doing, he leaned forward in his seat. “Max, I had a change of plans,” he said and rattled off Jordan’s address.
With his mind spinning as much as his head, there was only one person he wanted to be with tonight. The only one who’d understand his pain.
He leaned against the cushioned backrest and waited for the car to come to a stop in front of Jordan’s building.
* * *
Jordan came home and changed into a pair of gray joggers and a tie-dye swing tank-top, an outfit she’d be comfortable wearing to relax and watch television, and also to sleep in once she removed the bottoms. She released her hair from the low ponytail she’d had it in, the last thing she needed to free herself from the constraints of working for Linc’s Fortune 500 privately held company, where appearances were important. She was grateful to him for giving her a job where she earned more than she’d ever dreamed when growing up, and she refused to let him down.
She poured herself a small glass of wine and dug into the sushi she’d picked up, nearly inhaling the food because she was starving. Then she cleaned up and settled onto the couch in her living room, pulling a blanket over her and snuggling in.
Man, she’d had a long day.
Since Kenneth Kingston had passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago, she and Linc had had their hands full catching up on his father’s deals and properties. Although no one in the family liked to talk about it, Kenneth Kingston had been suffering from the early stages of dementia when he died. He’d refused to step down from his position as chairman of the company or become a figurehead in the organization he’d founded. All Linc had been able to do was make sure that Wallace Franklin, their chief financial officer and Kenneth’s closest friend, was on top of Kenneth’s investments.
Now, while Jordan focused on Linc’s listings and outstanding contracts, he handled both the business and his father’s estate. When necessary, Jordan coordinating with the elder Mr. Kingston’s secretary, Suzanne, who Linc had decided to keep on in a different position. He hadn’t wanted to fire the woman who’d been with the company for years. Linc thought he was a hard-ass, and they all liked to tease him about his demands, but deep down he had a good heart.
And right now he was hurting.
With a sigh, Jordan picked up the television remote and was about to turn it on when her cell rang. A glance showed her it was her doorman, and she tapped accept, surprised he’d call so late. “Hi, Jerry.”
“Miss Greene, Mr. Kingston is here. Should I send him up?”
“Yes, please,” she said, rising from her seat, concerned. She disconnected the call.
Why would Linc be here now? When she’d said good night at the office, he’d been drinking with and talking to Xander, filling him in about the sister they hadn’t known about. He’d already told Jordan everything about his discovery, and she understood how upsetting he’d found the news.
To show up here now wasn’t in character. He was self-contained and kept his emotions to himself, even when he was upset. But she’d never seen him quite as worked up as he’d been about his new sister, Aurora, and her past, growing up in foster homes while he and his siblings had wealth and comfort.
After folding the blanket she’d pulled over herself, she laid it onto the couch before heading to the door, reaching it just as Linc knocked.
She opened it to find him standing, one arm on the doorframe, a sexy vision with his white dress shirt unbuttoned and tie hanging loose around his neck. His silky black hair was mussed from running his fingers through the strands, and a day’s worth of scruff graced his gorgeous face.
But his eyes drew her attention most. Devastation looked back at her from his blue gaze with a darker ring around the outer edges.
“Hey,” he said, and she caught the whiff of whiskey on his breath.
“Come on in.” She stepped back and he entered, brushing past her and leaving her with a hint of his cologne in his wake.
After closing the door, she followed him into her living room. “I’d offer you a drink, but it smells like you’ve had enough.”