Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss (Kylan and Katrina)

Chapter 26

Katrina had been to Kylan's penthouse several times to drop off dry cleaning and the like, but she had never been to his penthouse. Not once during her three years at Ross Corp. It both wasn't appropriate, and it wasn't his style to have people over to his home. Unless they were a one-night stand, that is.

Now though, she found herself in the elevator on her way to his home, Chinese takeout firmly in hand. She was more nervous than she should have been, but this was another situation that she wasn't sure quite how to act.

He invited her over to do damage control, she knew that. He most likely suggested his house, because it was closer than the office and night had fallen. He wanted privacy after what happened, and she did too. But even though she knew all of that, her heart still betrayed her and raced relentlessly in her chest.

She worried Kylan could hear it, and when the elevator doors finally pulled open, she was all too grateful to step out. She let Kylan lead the way and watched as he deposited his keys into a small bowl that rested on an ornate table against a wall near the elevator. While she had been here before, she never went further than the living room. It was styled just how she remembered, with shades of grey and black, and subtle hints of white speckled throughout. It was exactly like Kylan, really.

He had minimal furniture, but what he did have, was undoubtedly nice and way too expensive. There were few pieces of artwork adorning the high walls, but what little there was, echoed the rest of the room's style. She noticed that a few pieces of artwork had bits of gold in them, and the splash of a brighter color surprised her.

The entire back wall of the apartment was one massive window, with blinds that could fold down at the press of a button. The view of New York City was breathtaking, even from where she stood near the elevator.

"Take off her shoes and come here. Kylan called to her from the kitchen.

She was startled slightly, not having realized he had walked that far away from her. She kicked off her heels, her feet immediately thanking her, and then walked to the kitchen.

Marble flooring adorned the way, and it was cool against the pads of her feet, an also welcoming detail. She walked through the wide arch of the kitchen, doing her best not to gawk at the practically professional setup Kylan had. It was gorgeous and bigger than her entire apartment. The large winding window continued near the expansive farmhouse sink. Even in the dark, she could imagine losing herself in the clouds as she did the dishes there.

"Do you u like to cook?" she asked Kylan, awe evident in her voice. She set the bag of food down on the counter and pulled out one of the barstools by iL

Kylan shrugged, opening a cupboard, and taking out two glass plates. He set them down and began to sift through the boxes of food, pulling them our and setting them down as well. He opened each one and scooped out a serving onto both plates,

"Cooking is one of the few things that relaxes me," he told her quietly, almost like he was embarrassed to admit something personal about himself.

"I'm surprised you don't just make your own tea," she said with a laugh, trying her best to imagine Kylan ever really being able to relax.

Kylan paused and quirked a brow at her. "Tea isn't exactly cooking, Katrina, he responded coolly.

She only smiled at him, and he pushed a plate of food over to her, along with a fork. "Thank you"

She glanced down at his knuckles and sighed, it all looked even worse under the fluorescent lights of the kitchen. "Will you please let me clean your hand?"

Kylan looked at the hand in question and gave a sigh of his own. "It's fine." he protested.

She shook her head, climbing off her stool and walking around to him. "Lead the way to your bathroom, she instructed him, folding her arms over her chest, and staring at him expectantly.

Kylan narrowed his eyes at her, looking down at her. "If I let you clean it, will you shut the hell up about it?" He sounded annoyed, but she didn't

Care.

"I won't make any promises." She shrugged and he groaned, turning out of the kitchen, and leading the way down a long hallway.

Motion sensor lights turned on as they reached different areas of the hallway, and she but her lip so she wouldn't comment on it. On all of it. It was intimidating, being in a place like this and with a man like Kylan, who undeniably made her nervous for several reasons. He turned

into a room on the right at the end of the hall, and she realized it had to be his bedroom. A large, king-size bed, with black silk bedding and perfectly fluffed pillows, took up most of the right of the room. To the left, there was what looked like a walk-in closet. And to the left of that, there was a small sitting area with a couple of armchairs and a couch, with a black rug in the center of the setup. On the far wall near all of it, was a massive white and grey marble fireplace.

It was all beautiful, the atmosphere both mysterious and somehow romantic at the same time. She saw Kylan head into a bathroom near the entrance of the bedroom and she followed him. He searched through a closet for a moment and then he took out a small first aid kit and a towel

""Come here"

Katrina motioned for him to come to where she was standing near two large bathroom sinks situated on a granite vanity. The bathroom was also impressive with a standalone tubs in the center, and a massive walk in shower with the kind of showerheard that she only imagined being in a five-star hotel. It was hard to believe prople really lived like this every day. She knew Kylan was a billionaire, but it was different seeing the fruits of his money in a way like this

Kylan leaned his hip against the counter, and she opened the first aid kit. She found an alcohol swab and ripped it open. He was close to her, and the sleeves of his button-down had been rolled up his forearms. He smelled incredible and clean. She forced herself to focus on tending to his wound

He didn't flinch away, not as she rubbed his wound with the wipe and not as she dried it with gauze. She could feel him looking at her, but she kep her gaze carefully on his afflicted hand

"Your penthouse is beautiful, Sir," she told him quietly.

kylan snorted softly and she looked up at him then. He was staring at her and if she had to pinpoint the expression, she would think he almost locked batter. "I didn't always live like this," he told her farly. ventured to ask him.

She nodded and continued cleaning his knuckles. "Where did she live, before she lived like this?" she ven

Kylan was quiet for a second, and she thought he wouldn't answer her at all, but then he did. "I grew up very poor, My mother.. She did her best, but I was never in her life plans, to begin with. My uncle tried to help us more than once, but she never accepted it. She was a stubborn woman, mj mother." The way he spoke of her was almost reverent, and she kept quiet so as to not break the strange spell he seemed to be under. "When she.. died. I ended up with Kenny for a year or two. I got into some less-than-favorable things and spent my fair share in the back of a cop car. I met Ryan when he was working on the police force." He watched her work as he talked

She slathered antibiotic cream over the broken skin of his knuckles, and then she began to clean up the supplies she used.

"Ryan was a cop?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Kylan nodded, examining his hand and then resting it on the countertop. "He was. I first came across him when... when he was investigating the murder of someone... that I knew. He was as insufferable back then, as he is now. But he was one of the good ones, I admit" Katrina didn't point out that he spoke of Ryan with the same fondness as he had used to talk about his mom.

"How much older is Ryan than she?" She asked, putting the first aid kit back together and then washing her hands. Even his soap was high quality. and she wouldn't have expected anything less from Kylan.

"He's ten years older than me. He was a cop for about five years before we joined forces and created Ross Corp Rylan put the first aid kit away and then turned back to her. "Enough talking Our food must be cold by now, and we need to email Isabel and damage control on Litter," he reminded her and she nodded.

-Right." She led the way back to the kitchen, feeling oddly comfortable. Kylan had never shared any personal details about his past with her. It meant a weird amount to her that he opened up the way he did, especially after his harsh reminder of the contract yesterday. Kylan poured them both a glass of wine once they were back in the kitchen, and they ate at the counter, talking about mundane things all the while. She was nearly done with her meal when her phone rang. She glanced down at it, not at all surprised to see that it was Isabel calling

She showed Kylan and he nodded at her to answer it

wer it. She did so and p

"Isabel, we were about to call you ourselves," she said into the

put the phone on speaker between her and Kylan.

phone immediately.

"Have you been on Litter yet?"

She licked her lips and toyed with her leftover lo inein. "We haven't We cleaned up Kylan's hand and then ate dinner. I was about-"

"People are loving Kylan right now. There are several videos circulating of the punch and the lead-up to the punch. The general consensus is they're impressed Kylan protected your privacy to that extent. Now while Las Kylan's lawyer, cannot personally condone the act of violence, I would be surprised if the photographer still tried to sue. He might though, so be prepared for that. And Kylan, if you're listening, don't punch any more journalists. We're still fighting the lawsuit from the host camera you broke."

Kylan rolled his eyes at her phone, taking a drink of his wine. She shook her head at him. "Thank you. Isabel. Do you recommend we say anything about it on social media, or just stay quiet?" she asked her.

"I would keep quiet for now.

She nodded her head, though she couldn't see her doing so. "Alright. Thank you for the call. Have a good evening." She hung up the phone and looked at Kylan. "From a PR standpoint, we need to ride the coattails of this thing. I think I should post the picture from the golf course," she suggested, pulling up the picture in question on her phone.

She turned her phone around so he could see it, and she watched him look down at it for a minute. There was a strange look on his face that she didn't quite recognize. "Sir? Is the picture not okay?"

Kylan shifted his gaze to hers. "It's fine," he responded flatly. He pushed away from the counter and began to clean up from dinner

Chapter 26

"Come here."

Kairina mlined for hum to come to where she was standing near two large bathroom sinks situated on a granite vanity. The bathroom was also impressive with a standalone tubs in the center, and a massive walk-in shower with the kind of showerhead that she only imagined being in a five-star hotel. It was hard to believe people really lived like this every day. She knew Kylan was a billionaire, but it was different seeing the fruits of his money in a way like this.

Kylan leaned his hip against the counter, and she opened the first aid kit. She found an alcohol swab and ripped it open. He was close to her and the sleeves of his button-down had been rolled up his forearms. He smelled incredible and clean. She forced herself to focus on tending to his wound

He didn't flinch away, not as she rubbed his wound with the wipe and not as she dried it with gauze. She could feel him looking at her, but she kept her gaze carefully on his afflicted hand,

"Your penthouse is beautiful, Sir, she told him quietly.

Kylan snorted softly and she looked up at him then. He was staring at her and if she had to pinpoint the expression, she would think he almost looked bitter. "I didn't always live like this, he told her flatly. She nodded and continued cleaning his knuckles. "Where did she live, before she lived like this?" she ventured to ask him

Kylan was quiet for a second, and she thought he wouldn't answer her at all, but then he did. "I grew up very poor. My mother. She did her best, but I was never in her life plans, to begin with. My uncle tried to help us more than once, but she never accepted it. She was a stubborn woman, my mother." The way he spoke of her was almost reverent, and she kept quiet so as to not break the strange spell he seemed to be under. "When she.... died. I ended up with Kenny for a year or two. I got into some less-than-favorable things and spent my fair share in the back of a cop car. I met Ryan when he was working on the police force." He watched her work as he talked.

She slathered antibiotic cream over the broken skin of his knuckles, and then she began to clean up the supplies she used. "Ryan was a cop?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Kylan nodded, examining his hand and then resting it on the countertop. "He was. I first came across him when... when he was investigating the murder of someone that I knew. He was as insufferable back then, as he is now. But he was one of the good ones, I admit." Katrina didn't point out that he spoke of Ryan with the same fondness as he had used to talk about his mom.

"How much older is Ryan than she?" She asked, putting the first aid kit back together and then washing her hands. Even his soap was high quality. Dand she wouldn't have expected anything less from Kylan

"He's ten years older than me. He was a cop for about five years before we joined forces and created Ross Corp" Rylan put the first aid kit away and then turned back to her. "Enough talking. Our food must be cold by now, and we need to email Isabel and damage control on Litter," he reminded her and she nodded.

"Right." She led the way back to the kitchen, feeling oddly comfortable. Kylan had never shared any personal details about his past with her. It meant a weird amount to her that he opened up the way he did, especially after his harsh reminder of the contract yesterday. Kylan poured them both a glass of wine once they were back in the kitchen, and they ate at the counter, talking about mundane things all the while. She was nearly done with her meal when her phone rang. She glanced down at it, not at all surprised to see that it was Isabel calling.

She showed Kylan and he nodded at her to answer it. She did so and put the phone on speaker between her and Kylan.

"Isabel, we were about to call you ourselves, she said into the phone immediately.

"Have you been on Litter yet?"

sus is that

She licked her lips and toyed with her leftover lo mein. "We haven't. We cleaned up Kylan's hand and then ate dinner. I was about-

"People are loving Kylan right now. There are several videos circulating of the punch and the lead-up to the punch. The general consensus is they're impressed Kylan protected your privacy to that extent. Now while I, as Kylan's lawyer, cannot personally condone the act of violence, I would be surprised if the photographer still tried to sue. He might though, so be prepared for that. And Kylan, if you're listening, don't punch any more journalists. We're still fighting the lawsuit from the first camera you broke"

you recommend we say anything

Kylan rolled his eyes at her phone, taking a drink of his wine. She shook her head at him. "Thank you, Isabel. Do you about it on social media, or just stay quiet?" she asked her.

"I would keep quiet for now."

She nodded her head, though she couldn't see her doing so. "Alright. Thank you for the call. Have a good evening." She hung up the phone and looked at Kylan. "From a PR standpoint, we need to ride the coattails of this thing. I think I should post the picture from the golf course," she suggested, pulling up the picture in question on her phone.

she

turned her phone around so he could see it, and she watched him look down at it for a minute. There was a strange look on his face that she didn't quite recognize. "Sir? Is the picture not okay?"

kylan shifted his ga

i gaze to hers. "It's fine." he responded flatly. He pushed away from the counter and began to clean up from dinner.

241 PM

Chapter 26

She watched him for a second longer and then shrugged. She drafted the post on Litter and then paused: "I think she should pick the caption this time. Sir."

Kylan had put on a pair of black latex gloves in order to do the dishes. He looked cute. Domestic. It made her nearly smile

He turned away from her so she could only see his side profile now as he began to wash the wine glasses by hand. "Mine," he said simply.

She frowned at him, her fingers hovering over the letters on her phone's keyboard. "I'm sorry, Sir!"

"The caption should say "mine" Kylan looked back at her, his face as blank as ever. "Because that's what you are, is it not?" he said evenly.

She stared at him; certain her mouth was partly agape in surprise. Mine? His? She knew he meant only in terms of the contract, but still, she felt... She didn't know how the hell she felt. Kylan turned back to the sink and continued on as if he hadn't just partly knocked the air from her lungs.

"Uh... Yeah, I guess that's what I am. To the. To the public." She ignored how her fingers were shaking and typed out the simple but bold caption She posted the picture and locked her phone. She was surprised to see how late it was, and she yawned. The lack of sleep from the night before was catching up to her again.

"I'm going to call a ride, I think. Thank you for dinner, Sir She stood from the counter and turned to head back to the elevator. She checked her phone as she walked, pulling up the rideshare app she seldom used when Oscar was off the clock, or it was the weekend, and she wasn't with Aaron

She didn't notice that Kylan had followed her, his gloves left behind in the kitchen. "You're not calling a ride," he said, walking and purting on has shoes and jacket,

She frowned at him as she put on her own shoes and jacket She picked up her briefcase and waited near the elevator. "It's late and Oscar is off duty, she pointed out to him like it should be obvious.

Kylan rolled his eyes. "Obviously. I'm taking you home." He grabbed his keys and pressed the button to call the elevator

prople did in

"Oh uh, okay. Thank you. Sir Kylan had never taken her anywhere. She wasn't even aware he had a car of his own, really. Not many p the city, even people like Kylan

She wandered into the elevator and Kylan pressed the button for the parking garage. She walked out with him once she reached the given floor He took her to the far back of the space, where there was a cordoned-off section reserved only for the penthouse. And then, she felt her mouth open in surprise once again.

"No way. This is yours?" She couldn't keep the giddiness out of her voice, even if she tried. Which she didn't bother doing. Because wow..

"Have you ever been on one?" Kylan asked, moving to the side of the ridiculously nice, all-black motorcycle. She didn't even recognize the manufacturer's logo on its side, it was so freaking fancy

"I haven't, but I've always wanted to, she admitted, staring at the expanse of the bike in awe

Kylan nodded and grabbed a helmet hanging off the side of it. He stood in front of her and brushed her hair back from her shoulder, his fingers grazing over her neck ever so slightly. "A few rules, then, One, wear this and do not take it off. Two, hold onto me and don't f*cking half-ass it Three, don't scream in my damn car." He motioned for her to bend down and then he put the helmet on her head, clasping the buckle under her chin

He stepped back and put on a helmet of his own and then climbed onto the bike. She smiled widely and eagerly got on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and scooted forward until her front pressed against his back. He was warm and he smelled good. She could partly feel the outline of undeniable muscle beneath the layer of his button down and she suppressed a shiver. This was her boss, and it was just a ride home. She reminded herself of this as Kylan kicked the bike to life and the engine roared loudly. It was an intoxicating sound and she felt giddy all over again. He peeled out of the parking garage, swiping a key fob on a machine in order to open the door so they could leave.

She quickly learned that Kylan was a careful and calculated driver, which didn't surprise her in the least. It was absolutely thrilling, feeling the cool fall air caressing her face. She had never seen the city like this, but watching the lights flicker by as kylan drove was everything. She felt like she were a kid; it was so exciting.

She held on tightly to Kylan the entire way, and she found she didn't want the ride to end at all. But all too soon, he was pulling up to the curb of her apartment building and killing the engine. He climbed off hrst and then he held out a hans for her to take. She carefully got off, conscious of not flashing him in the process. She unclipped the helmet and set it down on the seat of Kylan's motorcycle.

"That was incredible!" she told him earnestly, her voice as breathless as she felt.

To her surprise, Kylan graced her with a tightlipped smile. "Im glad you found it so amusing. Come on, I'm walking you to your door." He took her hand and pulled her in the direction of her building.

She followed him; a ridiculous smile plastered on her face the whole way.

-0-0-0-

0

Chapter 26

She stopped in front of her door and turned to look at Kylan. She was overwhelmed with the desire to pull him in for a hug for some reason. but she dropped his hand and gripped her briefcase tightly. "Thank you, Sir, For everything you did today. I'm sorry it was such a shitshow at times, but. She trailed off, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and looking at the ground. "You've defended my honor more than once. Katrina. I'm your boss and it's my responsibility to do the same for you" Kylan had returned to spraking clinically and just as always, it brought her right back down to reality.

"Of course, Sir. Thank you, regardless." She pulled her keys from the confines of her briefcase and unlocked her door.

"Two thousand, okay?" Kylan asked her, his phone in hand and waiting.

She felt herself frown at him. "You don't. Today wasn't a date. You don't always need to pay me. Sir, she spoke quietly, a familiar icy feeling creeping its way into her gut.

Kylan cocked his head to the side and stared at her. The contract, Katrina," he reminded her just as quietly.

"It wasn't a date," she snapped at him. Her eyes widened, realizing that was not how she meant to talk to him. "I'm... I'm sorry, Sir. I'm exhausted, truthfully." She did her best to salvage the situation, all while she internally kicked the shit out of herself.

Kylan quirked a brow at her. "Accept the f*cking money, Kate. He looked down and she heard her phone chime a moment later. He stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulders gently. Then, as if she didn't have enough to process alrearly, he kissed her on the forehead

He stepped back and they both stared at each other with wide eyes. Or really, her eyes were wide and his were surprised. He kissed her forehead. And they weren't in public. There was no reason for the gesture. She didn't have to keep up the charade in front of her door when they were by themselves.

She opened her mouth to say something, and then Kylan cleared his throat

"Let's uh, make sure we keep the contract in mind." His voice was strained as he spoke, not looking at her anymore as he did. "Goodnight, Katrina." He turned and walked down the hallway, his hands in his pockets.

She watched him leave and then she stepped inside her apartment and closed her door. She kicked off her shoes and then she allowed herself to sink to the ground. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed, staring down at the ground, her phone resting beside

her.

She was confused. She tried to turn down money from Kylan, which was part of the arrangement. Wasn't it? And then he kissed her on the forehead when there was no need for it at the moment. Which was definitely not part of the arrangement.

The tightrope felt like it was about to snap, which couldn't happen.

Her phone chimed again, and she glanced down at it in a daze, ignoring the money from Kylan.

"If you don't agree to drinks tomorrow, I'm kidnapping you. We have a lot to talk about, Kate, Aaron texted.

Aaron wasn't wrong this time, they had a lot to talk about

B