Five of a Kind: Kind Brothers Book 5 Read online

  FIVE OF A KIND

  KIND BROTHERS SERIES, BOOK 5

  SANDI LYNN

  SANDI LYNN ROMANCE, LLC

  CONTENTS

  Five of a Kind

  Mission Statement

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  FIVE OF A KIND

  Five of a Kind

  New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

  Sandi Lynn

  Five of a Kind

  Copyright © 2022 Sandi Lynn Romance, LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Photo by Wander Aguiar

  Model: Pat T.

  Created with Vellum

  MISSION STATEMENT

  Mission Statement

  Sandi Lynn Romance

  Providing readers with romance novels that will whisk them away

  to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.

  INTRODUCTION

  One letter that altered my life.

  A fake birth certificate.

  A father I never knew about.

  And four brothers who were the same age as I was.

  At thirty-three years old, I was the CEO of Sterling Capital, thanks to my uncle who took me under his wing and introduced me to the world of investing. He was somewhat of a father figure since my mother never married and told me my father was a stranger she’d met in a bar.

  After the sudden passing of my mother, I found out who my father really was. A man named Henry Kind, whom she had a brief affair with all those years ago. A man who left her to start a family with another woman. I was his blood, his son, and he was going to know exactly who I was when the time was right. But I needed to devise a plan to work my way into my newly found family’s lives.

  Buying a house down the beach from them was a start, and so was charming a beautiful woman who was close to them—a woman who was unbelievably sexy in so many ways. I’d use her to get to them, gain their trust, and take over my father’s company. The one thing I didn’t count on was falling for Jenni Benton in more ways than one. Then all hell broke loose after she’d found the letter my mother had left me.

  I had two choices: either leave her and everything behind or stay and fight the war I started.

  The thing about betrayal is that it will always come from those close to you. ~ Samuel Zulu

  CHAPTER 1

  Shaun

  “Oh my God, Shaun. Oh my God,” Christine kept saying over and over as I had her pinned up against the wall. “Yeah, baby. Are you going to come? Are you going to come?”

  I couldn’t take her voice anymore, so I brought my hand up and placed it over her mouth while I continued thrusting inside her. My cock started to spasm, and with one last hard thrust, I exploded while letting out a satisfying moan. I removed my hand from Christine’s mouth and placed it firmly against the wall while trying to regain my breath.

  “I can’t believe you covered my mouth. That was an asshole move, Shaun.” Her brows furrowed.

  I shook my head and lowered her down until her feet hit the floor. Walking into the bathroom, I removed the condom, tossed it in the trash, and splashed some cold water on my face.

  “Hello? Did you hear me?” she loudly voiced when I walked back into the room.

  “Yeah. I heard you. Get dressed.” I picked up her dress from the floor and threw it at her.

  “What? Why? It’s one o’clock in the morning.”

  “I know what time it is, Christine. You need to leave.” I walked over to my dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms.

  “Are you being serious right now?”

  “Very serious.” I grabbed my phone and opened the Lyft app.

  “What the fuck, Shaun?” she yelled.

  I left the bedroom, went downstairs to my bar in the living room, and poured myself a scotch.

  “You owe me a fucking explanation!” she spewed as she followed me.

  “I have a lot on my mind, and I just want to be alone tonight. Please, Christine. Don’t fight me on this. A Lyft is waiting downstairs for you, and it’s already paid for.”

  “Fine. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  “No.”

  I walked her to the elevator and pushed the button.

  “Thanks for understanding. I’ll call you.” I gave her a soft smile.

  “Okay. Don’t make plans for this weekend. There’s this great Indie band playing in Central Park I want to see.”

  “Sounds fun.” I kissed her forehead before she stepped inside the elevator.

  As soon as the doors shut, I let out a sigh, grabbed my phone, and blocked her number. Walking over to my safe, I opened it and took out the letter given to me by my mother’s attorney ten days ago following her funeral.

  My dearest Shaun,

  If you’re reading this, that means you have already laid me to rest in the ground. I know I wasn’t always the perfect mother, but I tried. Growing up without a father was hard on you, and I know your Uncle Nate attempted to fill those shoes when he came back to New York, even though he had issues of his own.

  There are things I’d never told you. I suppose I took the coward’s way out by telling you this when I’m dead and buried. But since your uncle is gone, and I’m gone, I don’t want you to be alone in the world. I didn’t lie to you when I told you that your father was a stranger I’d met in a bar. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. He was a stranger, and we did meet in a bar one night. I was with my girlfriends, and he walked over to me with the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. We left the bar together and went to a diner where we talked until two a.m. We started seeing each other after that night for a few months. I knew he was in a relationship with another woman, but I didn’t care. He had stolen my heart in so many ways. He told me I was his soulmate and that he could never love another woman the way he loved me, and he was planning on breaking it off with the other woman. The best thing that had ever happened to me was finding out
I was pregnant with you. The night I was to tell him about you, he had come over to tell me that we couldn’t see each other anymore because the woman he was with was pregnant and she was carrying quadruplets. He said he needed to do the right thing, so he asked her to marry him. I was distraught and so angry. I’d felt like my heart had been ripped into a million tiny pieces, and I hated him for that. I begged him to stay with me. He told me he couldn’t, and as soon as he was married, he was moving to California to start his own company. I figured if he could hurt the person he claimed so much to love, he would hurt you one day as well. So, I never told him I was pregnant. I’d kept tabs on him and his wife after they moved to California. Two months before you were born, she had her babies, and he had become the father of four boys. He was the reason I never married or was involved in a long-term relationship. I could never love anyone as I loved him.

  Your father’s name is Henry Kind. He lives in California and is the owner of Kind Design & Architecture. He’s your blood, my darling son, as are your four brothers. You don’t need to do anything with this information, but I couldn’t rest in peace until you knew the truth. You’re not alone in the world, Shaun. As you’re reading this, I’m sure anger and hate for me have consumed you. All I wanted to do was protect you, whether you believe me or not. Just know that I love you very much, and I will always watch over you.

  Love, your mother

  She was right. I was angry at her for never telling me the truth. But I was more furious at the man who hurt and abandoned her.

  After rereading the letter for what seemed like the hundredth time, I stared at the birth certificate that came with it. My actual birth certificate. The one where the name Henry Alexander Kind was listed in the box under “Full name of Father.”

  The following morning, I made a cup of coffee in my to-go mug and headed down to the car that was waiting by the curb. When I entered the building where Sterling Capital Corp. was, I took the elevator up to the twenty-first floor and headed straight to the conference room to meet with Bill Gaffey.

  “Morning, Bill,” I spoke as I stepped inside and closed the door.

  “Morning, Shaun.”

  Setting my cup down on the conference room table, I unbuttoned my suitcoat and took the seat across from him.

  “Well? What do you have for me?”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “I’ve been ready ever since I first read that letter.”

  “Your father, Henry Kind, is now retired from Kind Design & Architecture. He left the company in the hands of Sam and Stefan Kind, two of your brothers. Both boys oversee the entire company. Sam runs the architect division, and Stefan runs the building and construction.”

  “What about the other two?”

  “All four boys are stockholders in the company and are on the board. Sebastian went the way of becoming a chef. He owns two 5-star Michelin restaurants. Four Kinds in Venice Beach and Emilia’s in downtown Los Angeles. Your other brother, Simon, is a detective with LAPD. A well-respected detective.” His brow raised. “Whom, by the way, is lying in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s going to be.”

  “Tell me more about my father.”

  “Well, he’s on his fifth marriage. After he married his current wife, Celeste, he handed the company over to his sons. Also, you should know that he and his wife are expecting a baby.”

  “Jesus Christ.” I shook my head. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, Shaun. Very serious.”

  “And my four brothers?”

  “Sam is married to a woman named Julia who is also pregnant. Stefan was a single father to a little girl named Lily until he met Alex. They have since married and have a son together named Henry.”

  “So, I have a niece and nephew, another on the way, and a sibling coming?”

  “Yes. Sebastian lives with a woman named Emilia, and they have a dog named Ruby. As for Simon, he’s single. The four of them, including your father, live on a stretch of the beach in Venice.”

  “They all live next to each other?” My brows furrowed.

  “Yes. The house your father lives in originally belonged to Sebastian’s girlfriend, Emilia. She sold it to Henry when she moved into Sebastian’s house.”

  “They’re just one big happy family, aren’t they?”

  “So, it seems. What now?” Bill asked.

  “Get me the city housing map. I want to look at it. Keep watching them and report back to me. I need some time to devise my plan before putting it into action.”

  One Month Later

  I was sitting behind my desk when Bill walked into my office.

  “What’s up, Bill?”

  “I found someone who may be of interest to you.” He handed me a file folder.

  Opening it, I stared at the picture of the beautiful woman inside.

  “Who is this?”

  “Her name is Jenni Benton, and she’s Julia Kind’s twin sister. She’s single and extremely close with the entire Kind family. She was a fashion model who recently retired and is now seeking an investor for her fashion label.”

  “Interesting.” I stared at her smiling eyes. “Does she live close to them?”

  “She lives in downtown L.A. in an apartment in the Circa building.”

  “And you’re sure she’s single?” I glanced up at him.

  “She’s definitely single.”

  My phone rang, and when I looked over at it, I saw my realtor, Bella Marcus, was calling.

  “Hey, Bella. I hope you have good news for me.”

  “I do, Shaun. The Bennett’s have accepted your generous offer for their house.”

  “Excellent. When can we close?”

  “Ten days. They’re asking for you to give them at least ten days after closing to move out.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Great. I’ll get all the paperwork ready and call you when they need to be signed.”

  “Thank you, Bella. I appreciate your hard work.”

  “You’re welcome, Shaun. Let me know if you need anything else. Take care.”

  “What was that about?” Bill asked.

  “I just purchased the house on the beach next to Simon Kind.”

  “I didn’t realize it was for sale.”

  My lips formed a smirk. “It wasn’t. But who would be stupid enough to turn down triple the value and an all-cash deal?”

  “Smart. So, I take it you’ll be heading to California soon?”

  “Yes. Very soon.”

  “There’s something else,” he said.

  “What?” I arched my brow.

  “Your brother, Simon, and a woman named Grace Adams checked into the Mandarin yesterday.”

  “He’s here in New York?”

  “Yes.”

  “For how long?”

  “Their Delta flight leaves tomorrow at noon.”

  “Interesting. Thanks, Bill. I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’ll be in touch.” I got up from my chair and extended my hand to him.

  “You’re welcome, Shaun. I hope things work out for you with this family.”

  “Oh, they will.” I smirked. “They aren’t going to know what hit them once I’m through.”

  I left my office and walked over to my personal assistant, Selena.

  “Can I help you?” Her brow arched as she looked up from her computer.

  “I need you to call Rob over at Delta and find out which seat Simon Kind is sitting in on the noon flight to L.A. tomorrow. Then, I need you to book me the seat across from him.”

  “And if someone is already sitting in that seat?”

  “Tell Rob they need to be put somewhere else because they were double booked. Also, I need you to reserve me a room at the Mandarin right now. I don’t care which room. And I need you to meet me there in a couple of hours. Bring a few dresses with you, and make sure one of them is black.”

  “What?” She shook her head.
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  “Just do what I say.”

  I walked away and heard her shout.

  “Shaun, what is going on?”

  “Do it, Selena!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Shaun

  After taking a seat in one of the chairs at a high-top table in the bar area, I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent Selena a text message.

  “Black dress. Hurry up and get down here.”

  As I sipped on my drink, I watched my brother and his girlfriend Grace up at the bar. She was a tough cookie. That much I could tell. And so was he. I could tell by the look in his eyes when he walked over that he was ready to kill.

  “I’m here.” Selena walked over and took the seat closest to me.

  “You look nice. Now, you’re supposed to be my blind date, so act like we’re getting to know each other.”

  “You know, Shaun, I don’t think I get paid enough for this. I have a date with Nick tonight.”