“W-what does that mean?” She gulped, knowing exactly what he wanted from her and excited over the thought of being with him completely.
“Use your imagination.” He fell back on the bed, wrapped himself around her, and held her tight. “For now, get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
Rest? He expected her to rest after the direction their conversation had taken? She tapped his arm. “Kage?”
He chuckled. “What?”
He was right. She
did
want something from him, but more important, she needed to prove she was strong enough to give Kage more of herself. Her chest tightened, and she realized he was right. She had to admit out loud that the real Janie inside of her still existed. Scott hadn’t ruined her, and she wanted everything Kage reminded her of and more. “I just wanted to tell you I changed my mind. You can call me Janie.”
For a few seconds she thought he wasn’t going to reply. Then he captured her cheeks and kissed her hard. He took what she offered him and deepened the kiss. Dizzy, she closed her eyes, letting the rush of pleasure sweep through her. Unable to move, because all her muscles had liquefied, all her senses had heightened as he slowly stroked, sucked, and eased away from her with the gentlest lips, caressing the embers of the fire he’d created inside her.
When he laid his forehead against hers, she blew out her breath. “Wow.”
“Yeah, baby. It feels like I’ve wanted you for a lifetime.” He threw his leg across her thigh. “Once this is all over, you’ll see. Me. You. Can’t fucking wait.”
That decided it. She smiled against his neck. No one would stop her from being with Kage. And she would make the first move…tomorrow.
J
ane paced the living room holding Bluff, waiting for Kage to finish in the bathroom. She glanced at her purse, and wondered if she had time to put Kage’s pistol back in the dresser drawer.
“He’s going to kill me,” she whispered to Bluff.
Bluff meowed, pushing her paws against Jane’s chest. She held on tighter. It was too late. He could come out at any time and catch her in the act. How was she going to explain why she stole his weapon?
No. She blew out her breath and resumed her pacing. She had to do it this way. Let him think someone else broke in, or he misplaced it. She could tell him during last night’s chaos with Scott sending her a message, him going outside, and her hysteria over thinking she’d lost Bluff, he must have left the pistol outside.
“Jane!” Kage called from the bedroom.
Shit. She set Bluff on the couch. “Yeah?”
“Get in here.”
Uh-oh. She walked down the hallway and stood in front of the bedroom doorway. “What’s up?”
Deciding to play it loose, she leaned against the door frame. She raised her brow as if she was clueless over why he glared at her from the middle of the room, or why his jaw muscle twitched. Her independence meant she had to stay strong.
“Where’s my gun?”
She lifted her shoulder. “Isn’t it in the drawer?”
“You know it’s not.” He stepped forward. “You have half a second to tell me where it is.”
Pissed off didn’t describe Kage. Anger rolled off him and consumed the empty space in the room. Jane walked toward him, shook her head, and passed him on the way to the bathroom. At the door, she faced him again. “I really have no idea where your gun is, Kage. Maybe look in the kitchen. You might’ve put it there last night when you came inside.”
He growled.
“I’m going to put my makeup on, and then I’ll be ready to go.” She turned and closed the door.
She slumped forward, holding onto the counter.
Please, please, please don’t check my purse.
Barely able to look herself in the mirror, she decided to put on smoky charcoal eyeliner, mascara, a swipe of lipstick. She rubbed her lips together while searching for her earrings she set on the counter last night. After moving Kage’s shaving cream, hair brush, razor, the dirty towel he’d left out, she looked along the floor in case he’d accidentally knocked them off.
The silver hoops were too big to go down the drain. She stood and went out of the bathroom. She’d have to remember to go through her old jewelry box in her room during lunch and see if there was anything in there she could wear without bouncing back a decade. Naked ears drove her nuts.
Jane entered the living room and spotted Kage standing in front of the window, his back to her. “Hey, did you notice a pair of earrings in the bathroom earlier?”
He turned and shook his head. “No.”
Shit. He was still mad. She glanced at her purse. It sat in the same spot she’d left it in, on the couch. “Bummer. I thought I’d put them on the counter…maybe I took them off at work.”
“Let’s go. We’re late.” He strode to the door and waited for her.
She leaned over the couch, air-kissed Bluff, gave the cat a couple of strokes from head to tail, picked up her purse, and walked to the door. She waited for him to key in the alarm.
“One second, while I scan the yard.” Kage opened the door, stepped outside, looked around, and then motioned for her to come outside. She stood between him and the house, while he reached over her shoulder and set the alarm again before quickly shutting the door to beat the time limit.
He followed the same ritual as yesterday. She moved close to him, keeping her purse opposite of him. He pulled her close as they hurried to the car. She knew he hadn’t found the gun; her purse weighed heavy with the bulk of the pistol.
Out on the main road, he stopped behind a school bus. She glanced at Kage. They were forty-five minutes late, but that was okay since the shop had irregular business hours. She had to admit she enjoyed working days instead of alone at night, and found herself slowly forgetting about her problems during the busy hours at the garage.
The constant camaraderie among the boys put her at ease, and she looked forward to the many times Kage visited her in the office between car jobs. He’d pushed his investigation cases onto the others to spend all his time with her, and though that was one more thing for her to feel guilty about, she loved having him around.
The school bus took off, and Kage flipped on his turn signal, passed in the other lane, and drove on. She decided a distraction from her fascination with Kage called for a break or she’d never make it through the day. “Can you walk me into my house during lunch or after work, so I can grab some of my old clothes? I still haven’t found time to go shopping.”
He kept his gaze on the road. “Yeah.”
She fingered the leather material of her purse strap. He’d barely said two words during the drive, and she had a feeling he was waiting for her to confess to stealing his gun. She gazed out the window. Once they arrived at the garage, she hoped he’d get another pistol or realize she had a valid reason for wanting to carry one herself.
Kage drove past the house and parked behind Beaumont Body and Shop. She waited until he exited the car and retrieved her, simply because it pleased him when he could do the simple things like opening her car door for her.
As he opened the door she slid off the seat to the ground, but he blocked her from going any further, pinning her against the car.
“I’ll make sure to walk you over to the house.” He gazed intently at her and kissed her.
As always, he didn’t beat around the bush, and she wondered if this was his way of making her believe he forgot about the gun. Was he just biding his time before confronting her again? The kiss was hot and heavy, stealing her thoughts. She enjoyed the feel of his hard body pressed against her. As she felt the urgent proof of how much he looked forward to seeing her tonight, pleasant tingles swirled and dipped low between her legs. Just as she turned to leave him, he stopped her.
“Janie?” He gazed into her eyes. “Don’t you have anything to tell me?”
She squashed down the guilt over stealing from him and told him a different truth. “Yes. I can’t wait to see you tonight.”
She rose up on her toes and kissed him. Tonight was the night, and not because he pressured her into being with him, but because she cared for him and loved how give gave her the space she needed to move at her own speed. She longed to have sex with him and to let go of her past. They’d created a new beginning, and she knew he wouldn’t turn her away this time.
She accepted everything he gave her, and her body craved all the things he could do for her. His hand came up to her head, held her there. He moved his mouth along her lips, her cheek, and settled on her ear.
“Don’t deny it. You’re my woman. You’ve always been mine,” he murmured in her ear, his voice rougher than she’d ever heard it.
Her brain fizzled. She was no longer running away, but straight to him. She let him take her hand and lead her to the back door. Once inside, she scurried down the hall into the body shop, leaving him somewhere back near the holding rooms. Alone in the office, she shut the door and touched her lips. How was she supposed to follow through with her plan when he was making it impossible to walk away?
For one long moment back there, and many more times over the last several days, he’d tempted her to abandon her fears and fall all over his offer. She shook her head. Jumping into bed with the first person who made her feel desirable had gotten her in trouble the first time.
She’d given her all to Scott only to have him beat her and take away the security she’d felt at the beginning of their relationship. She knew Kage would never hurt her, but it was hard to let go of all her past hurt so quickly.
How could she become strong enough not to lose herself again when Kage encompassed her whole being? He literally had the power to destroy her.
To keep herself from worrying about her seduction, she plunged right into work. For the next two hours, she billed insurance companies, ordered parts, and called the repair tech to come out and look at the spare air compressor in stall 3. After she completed a few more calls to current customers, she looked for the invoices from yesterday and couldn’t find them.
She unlocked the door to look for Garrett, hesitated, and walked back to get her purse. It wouldn’t do to leave a loaded gun around if a customer came into the garage.
Out in the bays, the doors were down and the boys were missing. She headed back the way she’d come and turned toward the door to the agency. If Garrett wanted her to keep everything in order, he’d have to make sure she received the invoices the day the papers were due to be recorded.
Pushing through headquarters door, she was greeted by laughter. Garrett sat on the edge of a desk, his head thrown back. Lance held his earpiece in the air, cracking up. Tony stood off by the screens, a huge smile on his face. She turned to Kage, who was glaring at Garrett.
“What’s so funny?” She let the door swing shut as she stepped inside the room.
The laughter dropped off abruptly. She looked around. None of the boys seemed eager to share the source of their amusement. She looked briefly at the ceiling. Whatever.
“How’s it going?” Lance grinned.
“Uh…fine.” She frowned at him.
Tony crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels “Going somewhere?”
She tilted her head and glanced behind her, following his gaze. “No. Why?”
“Go to hell, Tony.” Kage swept his phone off the counter, ignoring her.
Garrett smacked his lips. “Damn. I can still taste the onion in that breakfast burrito. Do you have a breath mint, sis?”
“Yeah.” She took her purse off her shoulder.
“Jane. Don’t,” Kage said.
She glanced at him, digging in her purse for the box of mints. “It’s okay. I have enough.”
“Hell,” he muttered.
Geez, what was his problem? She slid her fingers around the pistol, searching the corner of her purse, then stilled. Heat rushed to her face. She fingered the cold metal, taking in the flat long shape, ending in a half moon she’d recognize in the dark if she were blind and wearing gloves.
Fury filled her and her gaze snapped to Kage. His eyes grew soft, and a look came over his face she read as half regret, half pissed-off male.
“You son of a bitch,” she mumbled.
The boys picked up the mood and moved toward her. She pulled out the wrench Kage must’ve placed in her purse this morning after finding his gun and held it in the air.
“Stand back or I’ll whack any one of you who comes near me,” she said.
J
ane’s threats of hitting the men with the wrench had no effect on Garrett as he continued toward her. Kage looked on, hurting for his Janie. Her temper, her feistiness, her smart mouth were what he remembered and loved about her most. Jane’s spirit set her apart from all other women. But at this moment, as much as he wanted to see the fire in her eyes, he regretted the other men egging her on.
The quiet, tame woman who’d returned to Bay City was the shell that Scott Carson threw away. Kage had wanted to bring the real Janie back, show her he had control of the situation. That he would catch the bastard and protect her.
Instead, he’d humiliated her by taking back his pistol and putting the damn wrench in her purse. He was going to bash heads once he was alone with Garrett, Tony, and Lance. They had no reason to make Jane feel like a fool.
“Give it back.” Jane slapped at Garrett as he grabbed the wrench from her hand.
Garrett held the tool behind him. “Why don’t you let Kage do his job?”
“Because he can’t!” she spat, flashing her gaze to Kage.
Her body stiffened, and then her shoulders sagged. He schooled his reaction to her words. He’d heard the same thing growing up.
His dad, mom—before she overdosed—his uncle Darrell. He wasn’t like them, and they found him lacking because he could see the difference between right and wrong. He’d spent his life proving he was nothing like the rest of the Archers. He continually fought the truth that the blood running through his veins matched that of people who used, abused, and killed.
He didn’t poison others’ minds with drugs, kill because that was the easiest answer, and he sure in the hell didn’t work for his uncle. He continued watching her, begging her silently to explain her opinion. She made no move toward him; it seemed she’d said all she had to say.
He’d worked his entire adult life to prove to himself that he was strong enough to fight any temptation, greed, and addiction that came his way. To be the polar opposite of his father, mother, and uncle. Yet Jane shouted her doubts about the very thing he fought so hard for, and it hurt.
Only one person’s opinion truly mattered, and he’d failed her.
Jane’s warm brown eyes appeared to liquefy. She sucked in her bottom lip. Her breasts rose and fell with her emotional outburst. A strand of her ginger hair fell across her face, and she brushed it out of the way and stepped forward.
She’d deny that she had her doubts, because she knew that’s what he wanted to hear. His back stiffened and he shifted his gaze away from her. He had to get out of there.
“Keep an eye on her.” He didn’t wait for confirmation but strode out the door.
He passed his car, no destination in mind, focused only on outrunning the knowledge that Jane didn’t trust him. The absolute horror in her expression once she realized what she’d said stabbed him in the heart. He understood where she was coming from.
She’d been through her own nightmare. But, dammit, he had the power to help her, and he hated that couldn’t make her feel safe.
At the edge of the parking lot he came to a stop. There was something he
could
do to put an immediate end to Jane’s problem, to heal her and put Carson away for good.
His vow to stay far away from his relatives took the backseat when it came to Jane. From here on out, she came first in his life. He’d do what needed to be done to make sure she remained safe.
He pulled out his phone, scrolled down his contacts, and made the call.
“Yeah?” Darrell said.
He closed his eyes and let his chin fall forward. The smart thing to do was hang up. He knew the guys would stop at nothing to help him catch Scott. Asking his uncle for help went against everything he believed in. If he stepped over the line, he’d destroy what little trust Janie still had in him.
He disconnected the call.
The one thing he swore he’d never do, he’d done. His heart hammered. Bile rose in his throat. He felt sick over admitting he needed help from the one person he despised, yet knowing he’d do whatever it took to keep Jane safe left him empty and angry. After all these years, Darrell’s voice remained strong, conveyed his power straight to the marrow of Kage’s bones.
He couldn’t ask for help yet. He wasn’t out of options, but if it came down to it, he’d do what he had to. He only hoped he had enough information stored on his uncle to walk away when this was over. If he’d learned anything in his life, he knew better than to let Darrell hold a marker on him.
Determined not to think about what he’d almost done, Kage returned to the office. He stood inside headquarters, his gaze immediately going to Jane. She looked him up and down before settling on his eyes.
He stepped forward, and Garrett moved in front of him. “What are you doing?”
“Taking care of business and making sure Janie stays safe. The same way you are.” He walked around Garrett to his desk and sat down. “If things escalate with Scott, I’ll have to bring one of you in to stay with Janie at all times.”
“Kage.” Garrett’s voice held warning. “Tell me you didn’t…”
He raised his chin. “I’m looking after Janie’s safety the way I promised.”
“Damn you. This is fucked up. If you know something you aren’t telling us, it puts everyone at risk. You do not get to keep information to yourself. Spit it out,” Garrett said.
Kage threw a look at Garrett. No one would talk him out of taking care of what was his, and he dared anyone to say Jane wasn’t just that. In time, Garrett would come around to understanding this was what Jane needed, if nothing else. For now, the guys only needed to know he’d protect Jane with his life.
“Nothing’s changed. Janie’s at my house, you two are searching every corner for Carson, and Garrett is hanging around here in case he shows up looking for her,” Kage said. “No one lets up.”
“We’ll meet in the morning.” Lance shoved back in his chair. “I’ve got a lead across town I want to check out.”
The tension in Garrett’s shoulders remained and his gaze never wavered from Kage’s. “I know something is going on in your head, and it’s giving me a bad feeling.”
“It’s Carson. He can ruin anyone’s mood.” Kage stood, deciding there was nothing left to say. The other guys had his back. If push came to shove and he had to make right with his uncle, he’d walk before taking them down with him. “If anyone has something to say, tell me now, because in two minutes I’m going to walk Jane across the parking lot to her house, and then we’re going home.”
“Kage, I don’t have to go to the house right now if you want to stay here,” Jane said.
“I’m done here.” He grabbed his jacket. “Let’s go.”
Jane turned, looking to her brother. Garrett glanced at him over her shoulder. Kage lifted his chin, daring him to put a stop to his plan. Brother or not, Garrett knew Kage would fight anyone who stepped in his way.
Garrett lowered his gaze to Jane and spoke to her quietly. Then he nodded at Kage. It was set. Kage would get no trouble from Garrett, and that meant the agency stood behind him with Jane too.
Kage held the door, and Jane slowly went out, staring up into his face. Together they walked to the house she’d lived in with her dad and brother.
She was silent, lost in her thoughts, and knowing her the way he did, she was probably listing each question she’d pepper him with later in alphabetical order. He opened the back door, and when she put her purse on the kitchen counter, he held up his hand. “Stay here. I want to make sure the house is secure.”
Once he found no threat of Scott, he returned. “Get whatever you came for, so we can head back.”
She stayed beside him. “Can we talk first?”
“No. Let’s get done and go.” He pulled out a chair and sat. Mentally exhausted, he raised his arms and clasped his hands behind his head. He refused to look away from Jane, hoping she’d retreat and not push him. Though he hated admitting he might need help dealing with Jane and Darrell at the same time. “Ten minutes, Jane.”
Her mouth tightened, yet she walked away without giving him any lip. Once she was out of the room, Kage rubbed his hands over his face. If he agreed to bring in family, it meant he couldn’t go forward with Jane. Tonight’s plan to do more than sleep beside her was a bust if he made the wrong decision.
A thump followed by a curse came from the other end of the house. Kage rose and walked toward the sound of her voice. In the door to her room, he paused at the sight.
Jane leaned into the closet, her hands above her head, outfits piled on her arms, trying to keep the clothes from falling to the floor. “The rod broke.”
“I can see that.” He tilted his head, taking in the situation. “How?”
“I leaned against it to get to the top shelf. Help me before they all fall off and I have to rehang everything.” Her face was red from struggle.
“The bracket broke.” He reached above her and grabbed onto the bar. “Why didn’t you yell if you needed help reaching the shelf?”
“Because I used to grab hold of it all the time when I lived here.” She straightened the clothes that’d fallen off and hung them back up.
He leaned back without losing his grip on the bar. “You’re bigger than you were years ago.”
“What?” She swung around and glared at him.
He chuckled. “It’s a good thing, baby. More curves to hold on to.”
“I-I…” She blinked rapidly. “Are you calling me fat? Because for your information I weigh the same as I did when I graduated college.”
“Perfect.” He ogled her breasts. “You’re in great shape.”
Five feet six inches, slim waist, and breasts that he knew would overfill his hands. He leaned down and kissed her. His body reacted instantly, and suddenly he was harder than the closet rod he was holding. He couldn’t wait to show her exactly how he felt about her body.
She whispered, “Okay then, I believe you.”
He grinned, shoving the hangers away from the end of the bar. “Do you know where your dad kept a hammer, maybe a few nails? I can brace the bar until Garrett picks up another bracket.”
“Yeah, in the garage he has a workbench with all his tools. I’ll be right back.” She moved.
“Hey, wait.” He turned his gaze toward her. “Only go in the garage. Don’t go outside.”
She nodded and left.
Ten minutes later, he rigged the rod temporarily until Garrett could replace the bracket, removed the box from the upper shelf, and stood watching her. She sorted a pile of clothes and boots on her bed and stood picking through a jewelry box on her dresser. His chest tightened.
The white box covered with ladybugs matched her bedroom. A bedroom that’d seen her through growing up in the Beaumont house and retained the decorations of a happy childhood. She’d had everything he didn’t growing up in a family who loved her unconditionally. H wanted her to have that normal, happy life again where she was able to enjoy reading in bed or worrying about what she was going to wear on a date when he took her out on the town. Everyone, especially her, deserved memories of a happier time. Call him selfish, but he wanted to experience those feelings with her.
“Did you bring anything with you when you came back from Pullman?” he asked.
Her shoulders stiffened and she stayed with her back toward him. “My Duster that dad gave me when I got my license, a couple changes of clothes, Scott’s gun, one hundred thousand dollars, and Bluff.”
His mind homed in on one thing. “I hope you had a fancy-ass job that allowed you to save that much money.”
She shrugged. “He owes me, Kage. Big-time. It serves him right to lose the money. I more than earned that amount after putting up with his shit.”
“Fuck.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Please tell me you went to a bank and withdrew it.”
“No, he never used a bank.” She dumped the jewelry she’d picked out into a bag and tossed it on the pile of clothes. “It’s my money too. I worked and paid the bills, the rent, and bought my own clothes. He never gave me money, unless he bought me a gift. But he sure had no problem taking it over the years.”
“Shit, Jane. You stole his money.” He shook his head.
“I know.” Jane shoved her belongings into a bag. “I screwed up big-time. I never thought I’d have you and Garrett involved in this mess. My only concern was getting away and making it back to Bay City.”
“Drug money,” he muttered. He took the bag out of her hands. “You didn’t steal money he earned or took from you. You stole dirty money, and someone will want that money back. Probably Carson, but if not him, then the person who hired him.”
Her brows rose. “That’s why I took the money. Don’t you see? I’m not stupid. That money is going to keep me safe. Scott wouldn’t dare kill me if he has no idea where I hid the money. He’ll want to keep me alive, because he probably has to give the money back to the supplier. He’s greedy, and won’t like dipping into his own cash. I know I’m not worth anything to him.”
“Dammit, Janie, it doesn’t work that way.” Kage grabbed her hand, pulling her through the house.
She hurried to keep up with his pace. “Kage, wait. If it’s someone else’s money, I’ll give it back. I only took it to get even with Scott and to keep him from hurting me.”
He led her outside, scanned the area, and then pulled her across the way. “Right now we’re going to go tell the guys this new information, and then I’m taking you home and hopefully keeping you out of more trouble.”
Kage knew Carson wasn’t working alone, not if he had that much money available. He answered to someone bigger and more powerful. This information put a new angle on the situation. Kage had a bad feeling that if Scott was working with that heavy a purse, his uncle would be his only link to finding out what in the hell was going on.
Because nothing happened in the area that Darrell Archer wasn’t aware of, and most times his hand was in play.
When push came to shove, he hoped the four of them were big enough to deal with the situation. Who knew how big it would get before they were through?