Stolen Desire (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

clutching my purse tight and try not to slam the door behind me. Charles steps off to the side and folds his hands in front of him.
    A gentle breeze lifts a blond strand and blows it across my face, and the sound of the fountain flowing behind us fills the tense silence. I can't even read Kaidan's expression.
    “I asked Charles to take me home.”
    “Do you have your keys?”
    What the hell? Confused, I open my purse and dig my keys out and dangle them in front of him. “Yes…?”
    Kaidan uncrosses his arms to pluck the keys from my grasp and drops them into Charles's waiting palm. “Anything you want in particular from your house? You'll be staying here for a while.”
    After I finish picking my jaw off the brick drive, I let out a strangled laugh. “Excuse me?”
    “Nothing in particular? Okay.” Kaidan gestures to Charles.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Give me my keys back.”
    Charles hesitates. “Anything you need, ma'am?”
    The thought of him rifling through my stuff pisses me the hell off. “No. I don't want anything . I'm going home. Now give me my keys.”
    Kaidan gives Charles a brief nod, and Charles hands me back my keys. I grip them so tightly, they cut into my palm.
    Kaidan says something low in Charles's ear, and Charles gets into the Jag and drives off.
    My muscles are so tense, I'm shaking. “What the fuck, Kaidan?”
    “I heard about your little adventure,” he says tightly. “Care to explain?”
    “No. Because it's none of your damn business.”
    “It's none of my business that my girlfriend just auditioned for a porn job?” His voice rises as he says it, and a little vein pops out on his forehead.
    The word girlfriend makes my stomach flutter for just a second, but he's ugly this way. I hate it. “And what if I did? What if I wanted to do porn?”
    Kaidan's face twists in hurt confusion. “Why? Why would you?”
    I sigh and drop my keys back into my purse. “I didn't, okay? This girl invited me to what she said was a modeling job. I told you my inheritance was held up. I thought this would be a fun solution.”
    Kaidan looks surprised, then shakes his head with a laugh. I kind of want to punch him right now.
    “You went to Chatsworth,” he says. “That's like… the porn capital of the world. How long did it take you to figure it out?”
    My anger is hot in my chest now, and I glare at him. He's mocking me. “Oh, you know. Right around the time a naked chick pressed her tits against me and leaned in for a kiss.”
    His eyes brighten at that, and now I really want to smack him. “Back to the original question. What business is it of yours what I want to do for a job?”
    A complex emotion crosses his face, and his mirth fades. “It wasn't safe for you to be wandering around the valley. Not with the paparazzi tailing you again. And besides… you're damaging your reputation.”
    “Don't you mean I'm damaging your reputation?”
    Kaidan turns away from me, his face unreadable. “It's not like that,” he says firmly. “I'm worried for your safety. So you're staying with me until some of this blows over.”
    “No. I'm not. I want to go home.”
    Kaidan ignores my pleas and strides into the house.
    Something is wrong with this guy, I swear. The perfection outside hides something seriously messed up. Why didn't I realize that? I mean, I've known for my whole life that some of the most dysfunctional people hide their brokenness behind a mask of wealth, power, and beauty. So why should Kaidan be any different?
    My heart's thumping hard as I follow him inside and catch up to him just as he turns from his hallway. I walk after him into his empty kitchen.
    “Do not walk away from me.” My voice comes out strong. Commanding.
    That gets his attention. He turns back to me, and I catch a glimpse of his face before he smoothes his expression. It's filled with worry… and something else. Sadness. Is he sad because of what I did?
    “You're not my dad,” I say. “But you're trying to control me