Stronger Than You Know--A Novel

by Lori Foster

  While Kennedy darted her gaze everywhere, he pulled into the garage and parked beside his Harley. With a press of the garage door remote, a steel reinforced door slid back into place and locked with a comforting clang.

  “Wow.” She eyed him again. “I feel like I was just imprisoned.”

  “Believe me, you learn to like that sound.” It meant no one could intrude and he could sleep in peace. “Each lower-level window has galvanized steel webbing that is locked in place at night.”

  “As it is now?”

  “Yes.” He sat still in the truck, his wrists resting loosely on the steering wheel, half turned toward her. He was unwilling to rush her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be skittish with him. “There are escape routes out the roof in the upper master, and under the rolling island that divides the kitchen and the dining room. It’s small. Really small, I guess.” He shifted, a little uncomfortable now that he thought about it. He could afford a bigger place, but what would be the point? He had to clean it, since he didn’t allow anyone else into his sanctum. Well...except that now he was allowing Kennedy. “Only about fifteen hundred square feet, though it’s enough for me.”

  With a soft sigh, she settled back in the seat and smiled at him. “It’s sweet of you to give me time to adjust, but honestly, I’m beat. I’d rather see your house, take a shower, eat and then crash—if it’s okay with you.”

  Her smile gave him one of his own. “You’re not nervous?”

  The rude snort she issued should have insulted him; instead, he laughed. “Got it. You don’t see me as any kind of threat. Glad to hear it.” Getting out of the truck, he headed around the hood to open her door, but she’d already done that and stepped out.

  Over her shoulder, she slung her purse strap, then the strap for her laptop case. Both looked heavy enough to bring her low, but her posture warned him against offering to take them. Instead, he hefted her suitcase out of the bed of his truck.

  Kennedy wrinkled her nose at the weapons and wallets. “I’ll leave those to you.”

  “No problem. Here.” Hastily, he stepped past her and did a quick finger press on the interior door that opened into the house. All the locks were biometric and opened only to his touch, though he could also operate them from his cell phone.

  Stepping into the laundry room, he set down her luggage and offered his hand.

  Kennedy ignored him as she looked through the room and into the hall. To the left was a half bath, and straight ahead was a guest bedroom and bath.

  “This way.” He led her up the hall and around the corner to the great room, which combined the living room, kitchen and dining area all in one big open space.

  “Wow,” she said again, her head tipped back to take in the high ceilings, the spiral staircase that led up to the master and the abundance of windows. “This is amazing.”

  Shifting again, Reyes did his own quick scrutiny. Pretty much everything was wood or rock, including the heated slate floors on the ground level. Upstairs he had wood floors with colorful rugs. “You like it?”

  “It’s beautiful. Somehow I never pictured you in a place like this.”

  “No?” Where had she pictured him? Sleeping in his gym?

  “Everything is so detailed. And clean. My gosh, there’s not a speck of dust anywhere. Not even a smudge on all these incredible windows.” She turned a slow circle. “I love the spiral staircase. May I go up?” Already she’d slipped the straps from her shoulders and let the bags down to the floor.

  “Sure.” He trailed after her, wishing he’d had time to make his bed. He remembered tossing the quilt as soon as he’d gotten her call.

  She went through the bedroom and into the master bath, staring at the dark gray slate that climbed the wall of the wide shower, the natural wood slab sink, the dark oval tub and brass fittings.

  “OMG,” Kennedy whispered. “This is stunning.”

  Tension gathered at the base of his neck. Why did he feel so dumb? “I, um, eliminated the third bedroom to make the master bath and bedroom bigger.”

  “Whoever put this together is a genius.”

  His mouth firmed. “I did.”

  Eyes flaring, she stared at him, then settled into a smile. “A man of many talents. You just keep amazing me.” With that bizarre compliment she pivoted and headed back to the bedroom.

  Reyes hurried to catch up with her.

  She slowed as she entered the room. “These floors aren’t heated?”

  “Nah. I like it cool when I sleep.”

  “Me, too.” Trailing her fingertips over the surface of his dresser, she strolled around the room, taking in the headboard that spanned one entire wall to accommodate the extrawide mattress. It had built-in end tables, bronze wall sconces and a niche for a few books. “You read?” she asked.

  Okay, that went too far. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall and gave her an insolent stare. “Yeah, learned when I was four or five. I can write, too. Spell, do math, all sorts of complex shit.”

  Her mouth curled into a grin. “I meant do you read for pleasure?” She pulled a book to see the title. “Woodworking?”

  The muscles of his shoulders drew tighter. “I made the sink in the bathroom.”

  “Astounding.” Shaking her head, she slid the book back into place and pulled another. “Horror?”

  “Why not?”

  Moving on to yet another, she said, “Ah. A biography of famous and not-so-famous killers.”

  It always helped to understand the twisted psyche. “So?”

  Done perusing his books, she lifted the quilt from the floor, shook it out and replaced it on the bed. “This is beautiful. Homemade?”

  “Not by me.” Damn it, if he didn’t get her out of the bedroom soon, he’d do something stupid. “Local quilters. When I saw that one hanging outside, I asked if it could be doubled. Took a few months, and cost a small fortune, but I like it.”

  “So do I.” Going to the window, she stared out. “No drapes?”

  For an answer, he walked to the nightstand and picked up the remote. With a touch, the windows gradually lightened to make the interior visible from the outside. Always cautious, he immediately darkened them again. “Nifty, right?”

  Keeping her back to him, she whispered, “So you’re not only a physical specimen and incredibly handsome, you’re a craftsman, a designer and, apparently, wealthy. No wonder I never bought the whole gym-owner bit.”

  “I am a gym owner.” Physical specimen? Handsome. Those compliments drew him closer. “How else do you explain the physical fitness?”

  “Some of it has to be genetics.” Knowing he was nearer, she half turned her head. “Is your dad as physically perfect as you and your brother?”

  “Now, how do I answer that?” Carefully, slowly, he settled his hands on her shoulders. Little by little, he thought he might be starting to understand her mood. “If I say yes, I’ll be admitting that I’m perfect, and we don’t want that.”

  She rubbed her face on a tired laugh. “You’re perfectly exasperating.” Surprising him, she leaned back into his body. “Reyes?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Your bedroom is up here, and the guest bedroom is down there, but I don’t want to be that far away from you.”

  “No problem. As you might have noticed, the bed is huge.”

  “Ridiculously so.” She turned to face him, staring up at him with a wealth of emotion in her eyes. “I promise to stay on my side of the bed.”

  “Yeah, no problem.” He leaned closer to tease. “But if you wander over in the night, I promise not to mind.” Straightening again, he took her hand and drew her along behind him. “Come on. You can shower in the guest bedroom while I make those sandwiches. If you don’t mind, I can take a look at your phone, too.”

  “It’s off,” she promised. “Isn’t that good enough?”


  “For now, yeah.” Turning it on just to see if anyone had contacted her wouldn’t be a bad idea, though. Never knew when someone might make it easy by being too cocky. He didn’t expect that—most shit like this went the hard route. Still... One look at the exhaustion on her face and he decided to let it go. “Where do you want your things? Upstairs for the night with us, or down here in the guest bedroom?”

  Indecision had her gaze flicking to the suitcase, her laptop case and her purse. “The suitcase will be fine down here. The others can go up.”

  “You’ve got it.” He carried the overstuffed bag into the guest room and set it on top of the bed. “Should be a few towels under the sink. You need anything else? Soap, toothbrush?”

  “Thank you, but I have it all with me.”

  He rubbed his hands together, hesitant to leave her. She looked small and worn-out, and she had to be running on last reserves. “All right, then. I’ll have sandwiches ready in ten minutes, but take your time.”

  For a few seconds more, she continued to stare up at him. “What would I have done tonight without you?”

  Smoothing down her mussed honey-blond hair, he admitted, “I have a feeling you’d have figured it out.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t have to.”

  Damn, much more of that and she wouldn’t get her shower because he’d be kissing her. “Me, too.” With one last brush of his thumb over her warm cheek, he walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

  CHAPTER THREE

  DRESSED IN LOOSE pajama pants and a baggy T-shirt, her hair caught up in a ponytail, Kennedy walked across the heated floors, listening for Reyes. When she didn’t hear him right away, fear wormed in.

  Incidents like what had happened tonight never failed to transport her back to that time and place when she’d been at the mercy of people who’d had none. Standing in the quiet house, out in the middle of nowhere, feeling very much alone, she became that frightened woman again.

  Reflexively, she put her hand to her heart, counting the beats. One, two, three... Alive. She was still alive.

  “Hey.”

  Her gaze shot up, and she found Reyes standing there between the kitchen and the living room. He was now barefoot, shirtless, and his jeans hung low. He also watched her closely, as if waiting for any unsettling reactions.

  She had a reaction, all right. Fear immediately diverted to sizzling awareness.

  Forcing a smile, she said, “I didn’t hear you.”

  “I was texting with my brother. He has your car.”

  “Already?”

  Reyes shrugged and turned back into the kitchen, leaving her to follow. “By the way, my sister-in-law, who until recently drove a semi, thinks your little red compact is cute.”

  Stomach rumbling, she went in to sit at the table. “It is very cute.” Two place settings were arranged, each plate holding a sandwich cut in half, chips and a few pickles. “God, I’m starved,” she said as she sat.

  “Dig in.” He opened the fridge. “What do you want to drink?”

  “A cola would be great, but then I’d never sleep, so...water?”

  “Sure.” He withdrew two frosty bottles and brought them to the table, cracking open the caps on each before setting them down. “I did a sort of cold cut combination. Hope that works for you. Turkey, ham and salami.”

  She lifted a slice of wheat bread and saw lettuce, tomato and onion. “Mmm. Lots of veggies, too.”

  “With cheese and mayo.” He smiled at her.

  She took a big bite and hummed in bliss. Once she’d swallowed, she said, “It feels like I haven’t eaten for days, but I always overeat when I’m anxious.”

  “Anxious?”

  “Nervous.” She flapped a hand. “Uncertain.”

  He paused. “With me?” Before she could answer, he asked, “Should I grab a shirt? I should grab a shirt, shouldn’t I?” He started to leave the room.

  “No, goofus. This is your house and you should be comfortable.” Yes, he kept her hyperaware, but she wouldn’t tell him so. He was cocky enough already.

  “It doesn’t bother you?”

  He bothered her plenty, in interesting ways. “Burned-down apartment building? Armed men? It’s that stuff that put me on edge.” Seeing his expression, she grinned. Had he thought she was anxious about crawling into bed with him?

  She was, just a little, but it wasn’t in her nature to admit to weaknesses. Not when she could help it.

  “Glad to hear it.” He went back to devouring his sandwich.

  She didn’t. “You make me grateful, Reyes. Seriously. If not for you, I’d probably be in some expensive hotel right now, scared to sleep and fretting about what to do next.”

  It took him a second, and finally he accepted her explanation. “You told my sister other stuff had happened. You want to tell me about that while we eat?”

  She’d rather not. Not tonight. Then again, the sooner things were resolved, the sooner she’d feel safe again. She picked up her sandwich. “Could it wait until tomorrow?”

  “Depends on how critical it is, and if it has anything to do with what just happened.”

  Always so pragmatic. “The thing is, if I start talking about all that again, the hot shower I just took will be useless. I’ll be all tensed up and then I won’t be able to sleep. If we wait until the morning, when I’m fresh and the sun is out, it won’t feel so overwhelming.”

  He studied her as if looking for the lie. “You promise there’s nothing I need to know tonight?”

  “I honestly don’t think so. It will wait.” As he’d said, she was safe here.

  “All right then,” he decided, as if he was the one in charge.

  Whereas his autocratic attitude used to rub her the wrong way, now it seemed somewhat reassuring. Still, she pretended affront. “Gee, thanks.”

  “Am I coming on too strong? At this point in my life, it’s habit. Nothing I can do about it.” He held out his arms. “You get what you get.”

  “You being an alpha and all that.”

  “Well, I am, yeah. But also, I know about this stuff, right?”

  Stuff being heinous people lacking a heart and conscience?

  Apparently, he didn’t need confirmation. “One thing I’ve learned is that the more info you have, the better you can deal with threats. If that makes me alpha, hey, I’ve been called worse.”

  She laughed. “You’re nuts, Reyes, but you really do make me feel better.”

  Smiling with her, he let his gaze travel over her face in what felt like minute detail.

  Flustered, she grabbed up a pickle and popped it into her mouth.

  Finally he murmured, “I like you like this.”

  In so many ways she was out of her comfort zone, a common occurrence with Reyes McKenzie. “How’s that?”

  “Less...antagonistic? Smiling and laughing a little.”

  Ah. Yeah, she’d been cautious about getting to know him, at least until they’d found the cat outside his gym. “I’m imposing on you,” she said. “It would hardly seem fair to be disgruntled about it.”

  “Is that what you call your attitude at the gym? Disgruntled?”

  Her face warmed. Okay, so she hadn’t been the friendliest person around. She hadn’t been outright rude, either—or had she? “It was different after we found the cat, don’t you think?” It had been for her. “I started to trust you a little then.”

  “Only a little?” He tsked. “When you ran into trouble you called me, so I have to believe you have ultimate trust.”

  “At least in your skill set.”

  “And my integrity?”

  “Talk about old-fashioned.” His serious expression didn’t change, so she shrugged. “Sure. I assumed you’d be able to help, and I trusted that you would.” He’d reacted faster than she’d expected, and with a lot more violenc
e. Not that she’d complain.

  Clearly he had a network of sorts set up with his siblings, yet she didn’t know why. That, as much as his overall carefree outlook on life, kept her guarded.

  “Surprised you, didn’t I?” He gestured. “With how quickly I got things done, I mean. Bet you weren’t expecting that.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” Idly she nibbled on her chips, wondering what he was thinking. “Reyes?”

  He glanced up. “Hmm?”

  “I don’t want you to feel responsible for me. Tomorrow morning, I’ll work this out, whatever it is. You’re not stuck with me or anything like that.”

  “No worries. I have big shoulders. I don’t mind taking on a little responsibility.”

  He couldn’t mean that, not when he’d set up his life as a bachelor. If she believed him, he’d never even brought another woman into his beautiful home. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, but I mind.”

  Eyeing her, he said, “I thought you wanted to wait until morning to sort things out.”

  “I do.”

  “There you go.”

  Exasperated, she gave up. “Fine.”

  Unlike most people, he didn’t chime in to have the last word. He just smiled.

  For the next few minutes, they finished eating in comfortable silence. She went to brush her teeth while he put things away. She felt like a slug, but if it had been up to her, she’d have left everything on the table until the morning.

  This time when she stepped out of the room, he was waiting for her. “I brushed my teeth, too,” he said. “Took my shower earlier before you called. So...you ready to head up?”

  Hello, anxiety. She, Kennedy Brooks, was about to sleep with a certifiable hunk. Granted, it wouldn’t be a sexual thing. That didn’t stop her from imagining it all in a fast-rolling reel of images.

  It felt incredibly momentous to nod, to allow him to take her hand, to be led up the spiral stairs and to his room.

  “Did you lock up downstairs?”