Bordering On Love (A James Family Novel Book 3)

by Carolyn Lee

  "You okay?" she asked Keegan.

  "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" His words were clipped telling her he was anything but fine.

  "Well, if you grip that wheel any tighter it's going to rip right out."

  "I'm fine." He didn't look at her but did relax a noticeable amount. "I just want to get back and catch the guys messing with my property so we can be done with it all."

  He glanced up at the rearview mirror briefly and a shadow passed over his features. Obviously what he meant was to be done with his cousin.

  "I really thought the two of you were friends. It seemed that way at first."

  "We are friends. Most of the time. But my cousin has a way of—moving in—when he wants something. He crosses lines that shouldn't be crossed."

  "We were seventeen," Will called from the backseat. "You ever going to get over that?"

  "I am over that," Keegan replied.

  "Good. Because I was getting the impression you were still harboring some ill will over something that happened more than a decade ago. That's a long time for even you to hold a grudge."

  "I don't hold grudges."

  "If you say so, cousin."

  Nikki watched the exchange between the two men, wondering what could have possibly happened when they were teenagers that could still be bothering Keegan. He was obviously put out about something. She ignored the disappointment that it didn't seem to be entirely over her.

  "Let's just get this job done and over. Then you can get back to your playboy life and I can get on with mine."

  Will sat up, his features transforming into hard, determined lines. "Is there something else going on here that I don't know about?"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You. Being pissed off at me. What did I do this time?"

  Keegan kept his focus on the road but Nikki could seem his muscles tightening. "I'm not pissed at you."

  "Dude, you got a funny way of showing it." Will relaxed back against the seat but didn't close his eyes again. Instead, he winked at Nikki and graced her with a grin that was so much like Keegan's it was kind of eerie.

  They left the interstate and Keegan headed in the direction of his property. The sun was setting, splashing oranges and reds across the landscape that became more open as they left the city proper. Neither man said another word until Keegan pulled into the driveway of his house. Nikki sucked in a breath when she caught sight of the old farm house with all the beauty of the dusk sky surrounding it in crimson glory. Will jumped from the truck, leaving the door open as he walked over to the structure.

  "Damn, man, this place is amazing."

  Keegan relaxed instantly as he gave a slow smile. "I know. When I saw it, I had to have it. She needs work but I am already on that."

  "Can I see inside?"

  Keegan glanced at her and Nikki nodded. "Go ahead. I could use the official tour myself. Maybe I'll pay a visit to your facilities while I'm there since we have a long evening ahead of us."

  Will nodded agreement. "Yeah, I was just thinking about finding a tree myself."

  "Come on," Keegan said as he strolled toward the front door. Man, she loved that door. It was like entering a stately southern plantation. Come to think of it, maybe that's what it was once upon a time. She felt a little like Scarlett O'Hara as she entered the home.

  "I don’t know how you found this place, but you done good, cousin." Will was nodding his approval as he ran his fingers across hand hewn wood trim and framing. "These floors are—wow, I just have no words."

  "It really is an amazing place. Do you plan to upgrade it or restore it?" Nikki asked following Keegan into the kitchen. The huge washtub style, cast iron sink sat regally against one wall while a stove and refrigerator that were obviously decades old graced another wall.

  "As you can see, it needs a lot of work. I plan to do a little bit of both. I want to restore as much as I can while still having all the most modern conveniences."

  "I had no idea you had this in you. I took you for a condo by the ocean kind of guy," Will said.

  "Please. I don't like people enough to live in a building like that. I need privacy. You know how it is."

  Nikki understood completely. It was why she kept the house she had grown up in when her mother passed and her father later moved into assisted living. The house sat on over an acre of land with plenty of large trees growing around it to block out the world. It was her refuge from the evil she constantly encountered at her job. Ten years in the FBI had probably made Keegan as guarded as she was. The job required them to protect their hearts as much as their minds against the demons they dealt with.

  "Yeah, that's why I live in Sandbridge. Close to the surfing but far from all the touristy stuff."

  "You still hitting the waves pretty regularly, Will?" Keegan called from the next room. Nikki and Will followed him.

  "You bet. Was out there at five this morning. No better way to start my day."

  "I've never been on a board," Nikki said.

  "You gotta have my cousin take you for a spin sometime," Will replied with a wink toward Keegan whose tanned cheeks turned a nice ruddy color in response to the comment.

  "Perhaps I will take him up on that." Nikki smiled her best flirty smile at the man in question.

  Keegan met her gaze with a smile of his own. "I'm sure we can work something out when this case is all wrapped up."

  "Speaking of cases, we should probably get out to the barn. Can you point me in the direction of the little girls' room real quick?"

  "Right through there." Keegan point down a short hall that ended at the base of the staircase.

  "Excellent, thanks. I'll just be a minute."

  The bathroom was small, with just enough room for a pedestal sink and a toilet. It was obvious that the facility was an add on—there was still a pole over the toilet that probably served as a coat rack when the room was still a closet. As she took care of business, voices travelled the length of hallway. Standing still in front of the sink, she strained to listen. Will was talking loud enough to hear clearly but Keegan wasn't.

  "You like her." It was not a question but a statement from Will.

  "She's a good agent."

  "I'm sure she is but I think you like her."

  "What is this—middle school?" There was an edge of annoyance to Keegan's voice.

  "You got mighty pissed at me on the way here for being flirty."

  "Past experience has warned me to be wary of you around all women."

  "For cripe's sake, Kee, that was a long time ago. You know what I think? I think it's more about Margot."

  There was silence for almost a full minute and Nikki wondered if the men had gone outside. Suddenly Keegan spoke again, his voice low and angry. "What do you know about Margot?"

  "Please, Kee. It's no secret. Everyone knows she left you for Tom Anderson."

  "How? How does everyone know?"

  "The law enforcement world is small. He is a big name in it all."

  "Yeah, well, she has nothing to do with anything."

  "Nothing? She had nothing to do with you quitting your job, moving to the coast, and buying a house in the middle of nowhere?"

  "Change is good for a man."

  "I agree. I think that sexy DEA agent down the hall would be very good for you."

  Nikki smiled at her reflection in the old, dusty mirror. If Keegan was nursing a broken heart, she was pretty sure she could help him get over it. She could be very good for him, if he let her. Once this case was over anyway.

  "I just met her a few days ago. Until then she thought I was trafficking drugs." Both men laughed, the sounded echoing down the hall reminding her that she had been in the bathroom way too long. Quickly washing her hands, she dried them on her jeans and left the tiny room.

  "You're up, Will."

  "Damn, girl, we were about to send the National Guard in after you. You get stuck in there or something?" Will grinned as he passed her on his way to the bathroom.

  "Wait unt
il you see for yourself. It's close quarters in there when you gotta sit to do your business."

  He laughed. "I'm good then. Be right out."

  "It's a little dirty in there, isn’t it?" Keegan asked. "I haven't done any cleaning. Not until the contractors are done here."

  "It was better than those trees your cousin mentioned earlier."

  "Yes, I suppose it is." Keegan was studying her with an odd look on his face. Did he know she had been eavesdropping? If he did, he didn't say anything just gave her another of his amazing smiles.

  "This really is a fantastic house. I can't wait to see it when it's done." Oh, crap. Had she really just said that?

  "I look forward to showing it all to you one day." He said the word all with a strange emphasis, as though he meant so much more than the floorplan of the house. Heat built in her face under the intensity of his gaze. It took more will power than she thought she had not to stand up on tiptoe and plant a kiss on those perfect lips of his. Lips she would sure like to get more personal with.

  "If you two are gonna kiss or something, could you just get it over with so we can go see what's happening outside?" Just like that, the moment was broken by Will. Nikki stepped back, ignoring the flaming heat in her face.

  "Come on, I'll introduce to two of our agents." She turned and headed toward the door, the two men following her. They were oddly quiet, making her a little bit nervous but she kept moving until they were all standing in the drive and Keegan had secured the house again. She let him lead the way through the trees and overgrowth until they were in sight of the barn. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she sent a text to Jeff letting him know they were there. A half a minute later they heard a rustle in the brush and then the other two agents were there with them.

  "Hey, Nik. What took y'all so long?" Jeff asked.

  "Yeah, and who's that?" Mark asked, nodding toward Will.

  "This is Will James of ATF."

  "Why do you two look so much a like?" Jeff looked from Keegan to Will and back again.

  "Cousins," Will replied.

  "I got about fifty cousins and none of them look like they could be my twin." Mark said, extending his hand. "I'm Mark Lewis. That's my partner, Jeff Barron."

  "Nice to meet you both. Sorry it took us a bit to get out here. I had to hit the head and my cousin's place is absolutely amazing. I took an impromptu tour."

  "The place is about to topple over." Jeff laughed.

  "So, what happened while we were away?" Nikki asked, redirecting the conversation.

  "Nothing. Place has been as quiet as a tomb."

  "Well, why don't the two of you head out of here and we will take over. I'll call you if we need you to take over in the morning."

  Mark nodded. "Okay. I'm half starved. I'm going to get a pizza."

  Darn. She'd forgotten about eating. Again. Maybe once they get settled, she could send Will out for something. The thought of being alone in the dark with Keegan sped her heart rate up just a little bit.

  "All righty then, we're outta here," Jeff said. "Come on, Marky Mark, I'll buy you a beer."

  The two agents left, laughing and joking with each other. When they were gone, Nikki looked at the two men she was left behind with and wished one would make himself scarce. As if God heard her request, Will spoke first.

  "I'm going to make my way down to the barn and poke around a little. I want to snap a few pictures to send back to the boss. You two behave now."

  Will slipped through the tree line and worked his way around the back of the building leaving them alone in the woods.

  "I'm sorry about my cousin. He can be a bit overwhelming."

  "He's all right. Lonely, would be my guess. He needs a woman. Or a man. Whatever his thing is."

  Keegan broke out in laughter. "Oh, that's classic. Wait until I tell him you said that?"

  "What? I was trying to be judicious!"

  "The way he was flirting with you, was there ever any question?"

  "Maybe he is just a nice guy."

  Keegan laughed again. "Nice guy, yeah. How's that ankle of yours?"

  Nikki flexed the injured foot and moved it in a circular motion. "Seems to still be there. The pain has subsided to a dull ache now. I'm sure I will live."

  "That's always a good thing. There's a log over there we can sit on, give it a rest, and still be able to see the barn."

  "Shouldn't we go back up Will?"

  "Nah. He may seem like an overgrown child but he graduated top of his class in the academy and he instructs new cadets in tactics and firearms. He can hold his own."

  They settled on the log and Nikki was grateful for the reprieve to her injury. "I never would have guessed."

  "I know. It's hard to imagine him doing anything more than riding the waves when he is in the mood he was in earlier."

  "Speaking of waves, you seriously know how to surf?"

  "I know my hair is a little shorter and a little neater, but that doesn't mean I can't work a board."

  "That's not what I meant. I—" She searched his relatively blank expression for some understanding of what she wished to ask him but couldn't.

  "I'm not as happy go lucky as my cousin but I still know how to enjoy life."

  "I'm sure you do. I was just wondering if the offer for a few lessons still stood? It's been on my bucket list forever to learn to surf."

  Keegan reached over and toyed with a stray lock of her hair. "You want me to teach you to surf?"

  "Well, yeah."

  "Will's much better at it than I am."

  "But I bet he looks nowhere near as good in a wetsuit as you do." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Keegan's expression filled with the same heat his skin took on as he studied her closely. So many sparks passed between them in that small moment of silence, Nikki feared the woods would catch fire.

  Finally, Keegan spoke, breaking the spell they were under. "You can count on it."

  13

  Keegan

  If they hadn't been on a stake out, Keegan would have stretched Nikki out on the soft leaves right then and there and shown her exactly what he would have under his wet suit, were he wearing one and all. The air around them crackled with electricity as he held her gaze, wanting nothing more than to hold her. Unable to stop himself, he reached for Nikki, pulling her close enough that their lips were mere centimeters from each other.

  "It really drove me wild to see my cousin flirting with you," Keegan whispered so only she could hear it.

  "I'm sorry about that."

  "Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

  "I know. He's too wild and carefree for me. I need someone in my life who's solid and driven."

  "Solid and driven, huh?" Keegan's tongue slipped out and dampened his suddenly dry lips. "I am very driven to kiss you right now. Does that count?"

  "Oh, yeah," she breathed.

  Keegan didn't need any more invitation than that. He crushed his lips to hers, his hunger for Nikki rivaling that of a starving man for a hot meal. She parted her lips slightly and Keegan seized the opportunity to slip his tongue in to her mouth and deepen the kiss. Nikki responded in kind, their tongues battling for control. He couldn't help but wonder if she would meet him the same way in the bedroom. The thought made his entire body grow hard.

  Nikki slid her hands up his arms and wrapped them around his neck. It was all the encouragement he needed to pull her into his lap, the kiss never breaking. His hands rubbed her back, up her sides and across the bottoms of her breasts. The breast contact was accidental but even that minimal amount of contact shot pure fire through his veins.

  "Nikki," he moaned as his lips travelled along her jawline and discovered the softness of her earlobe.

  "Oh, yes. You can just keep on doing that," Nikki replied in a raspy voice.

  "It would be my pleasure." His fingers fisted into her hair, tangling it. The softness of it was almost erotic.

  She slid her hands to his shoulders and then her fingertips traced
the ridges of his muscles as she continued down his chest to the place where his shirt tucked into his jeans. Those jeans were suddenly so tight he groaned in agonized desire.

  "I thought we were on a stakeout here?" Will's voice cut through the haze that had taken over his brain and he nearly dropped Nikki to the ground in his haste to get a little distance between them.

  "I figured you had things covered for a bit." Keegan ignored the huskiness of his voice as he settled Nikki back beside him trying not to notice the way her hair had gotten messed by his fingers being all wrapped up in it. She must have sensed it though, the way women did, because she reached up and smoothed the strands back into place as much as she could.

  "Maybe I should take over here and you two should just get a room?" Will was teasing but for some reason it pushed all the wrong buttons with Keegan.

  "Why are you like that?" Keegan demanded.

  "Like what?" Will actually looked genuinely confused.

  "I don't know, a jerk?"

  "I leave you two here to cover me while we are staking out a dump site for illegal firearms and I return to find the two of you making out like a couple of teenagers and I'm the jerk?"

  When he put it like that, the fight died inside Keegan. Nikki remained quiet as he studied his cousin for brief moment. "You're right. I'm sorry."

  "I'm not. You need a little—attention—in your life. It might loosen you up some."

  "Maybe. Maybe not. Right now, though, we got a job to do."

  Her color finally back to normal, Nikki asked, "Did you get some good pics?"

  Will settled on the log beside her. "Yeah. I sent them off to the agency. I'm dying to get a look at the guys who brought them here. Maybe run some pics through facial recognition software so we can see who we are dealing with. If this is international like you say it might be, there are some big rings out there I'd love to bust up."

  "I don't think any of the top guys are going to show up here," Keegan said.

  "No, but if we can follow them, see where they go, that might get us somewhere."

  "We aren’t going to exactly be inconspicuous in my truck."

  "True. I hadn’t thought of that." Will pulled out his phone and punched in a text. "I just sent my partner the address to your place. He will be here in half an hour. He drives a Prius or some earthy crunchy car like that. No one will suspect him of a thing."