Archer

by Debra Kayn

  Kage knocked lightly on the door to get their attention, still grinning but looking at only her. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” His gaze locked on her body. “Baby, take your time with your friends, and I’ll put on some coffee for everyone.”

  Charlene cackled and slapped Kage on the back. “I don’t think it’s coffee that girl needs. She needs food to keep up with you. You can’t be wearing her out when she’s under so much stress.”

  Jane couldn’t be embarrassed. It was Kage. He’d fascinated her since she’d been a teen, and now she’d had sex with him. Wonderful, mind-blowing sex. The likes of which she’d never had before. Ever.

  “Are you hungry, baby?” Kage studied her. “It’s dinnertime.”

  Oh. My. God. Her insides went mushy, and she nodded. Kage gave her a knowing, satisfied grin before heading in the direction of the kitchen. She knew what he was thinking and couldn’t help teasing him as she replied, “Starving.”

  “Geez, turn on the air conditioner, you two.” Sabrina waved her hand in front of her face.

  “I’ll help Kage. Lord knows, that man shouldn’t be using his beautiful muscles to cook. He should stand somewhere, so we women can gaze at him whenever we want. Mm-hm.” Charlene left the room.

  Sabrina turned to Jane, eyes filled with tears. “I’ve missed you so much, and now Charlene tells me something bad is happening and you’re involved. What’s going on? I thought you were happy living in Pullman.”

  Jane inhaled deeply, ready to tell her friends the truth. “Let me do something with my hair, brush my teeth, and I’ll try to explain.”

  “You’re not in trouble, are you?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I got myself into a huge mess, and now Scott—who turned out to be a really, really bad guy—is after me.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Sabrina gave her one more hug. “I’ll help you. Just tell me what I need to do.” Jane leaned into her friend. Those words brought her more comfort than she could’ve imagined. She should have known Sabrina would accept her, problems and all. “Thanks. Now get outta here, before I start crying. You can help Charlene and Kage with breakfast. I’m starving. I’ll fill you in on what’s happening while we eat.”

  Ten minutes later, she’d put makeup on, slipped her shoes onto her feet, and walked into the kitchen to find Charlene standing over a waffle maker and the smell of maple syrup in the air. Kage sat at the table, an empty plate in front of him, holding a cup of coffee. She swallowed as he turned to her, unsure if what happened between them changed anything.

  His gaze went from questioning to heated as he settled on her. Whoa.

  “Sit down, girl. Dinner is ready.” Charlene waved the spatula in the air.

  “Waffles?” She raised her brows and sat between Kage and Sabrina.

  Sabrina leaned closer. “Don’t ask. She already yelled at me when I told her no one has waffles at night, unless they want to gain ten pounds.”

  “I heard that, and you could afford to put on some weight. Men like curves.” Charlene slid a plate loaded with waffles, two eggs, and a couple precooked sausages in front of Jane. “Eat. You need to keep up your strength if Kage is going to keep you busy.”

  Kage coughed on a swallow of coffee. Jane laughed. God, it was good to be back with friends, putting up with their normal outlandish behavior and forgetting what was going on outside in the world. She’d missed this.

  “So, spill, chica. Why are you back and what did you do?” Sabrina leaned against the table.

  “She ain’t going to talk about it. I’ve tried for the last three weeks and her and Kage’s lips are sealed tighter than my blue blouse with the sequins across the shoulders.” Charlene harrumphed.

  Jane finished chewing and glanced at Kage. He reached out and placed his hand on her thigh, giving her a squeeze. She blew out her breath and leaned back, forgetting about the food.

  “Things weren’t as great with Scott as I pretended,” she said.

  Sabrina frowned and Charlene fell silent behind her. She continued. “It was bad.” She glanced at Kage. “I sorta stole Scott’s gun and some of his money when I ran away.”

  “Wait. Back up the truck.” Sabrina waved her hand. “Bad? How bad?”

  Kage straightened and spoke to Jane. “You don’t have to—”

  “It’s okay.” She slipped her fingers into his hand. “No more hiding.”

  “I am not liking the sound of this,” Charlene said, her voice low and angry. “No one hurts my girl. Where is this loser now?”

  Jane shook her head. “We don’t know. That’s why I’m staying with Kage. Scott’s going to come after me. He always does.”

  Charlene strode over to Jane, fell to her knees, and gazed up at her in the chair. “What did that rat bastard do?”

  “Charlene…” Kage growled.

  “Butt out, Kage.” Charlene’s mouth tightened. “Tell Charlene what happened, so you can heal.”

  “I’m going outside.” Kage shook his head.

  Jane watched him exit through the back door. Her stomach rose in her throat, and she swallowed it down. Goose bumps broke out on her arms. She was finally accepting that she wasn’t alone. She had Kage, her brother, the guys, Charlene, and Sabrina. So, she told them the story of what’d happened during her relationship with Scott.

  She glossed over the times Scott forced himself on her. She also skipped all the times Scott purposely punished her for running away by making a scene in front of the goons who worked for him, for the sake of making himself look good.

  She continued summarizing her life with Scott to her friends. “I stole his gun, some of his money, and threw a bag of my clothes and Bluff in the car. Then I drove through five states to come back here. I knew he’d look for me in Bay City, but I needed to buy some time. I figured I’d have a minute to figure out a plan by the time he arrived.” She inhaled deeply. “But it’ll be over soon. I’m going with Kage and we’re going to stop Scott.”

  As Jane finished, the door opened, allowing a sliver of light to come through. A muttered “Fuck” came from the other side followed by a definite click.

  Jane frowned, wondering what had upset Kage and why he didn’t come back inside.

  “Ooh wee, girl. You got right under Kage’s skin.” Charlene sat down in the empty chair. “Now tell Charlene what you mean by going with him to take down this loser who dared strike my girl.”

  “I don’t know what he plans to do. Kage’s not telling me the details. He thinks I’m going to stay here.” She splayed her hands on the top of the table. “Yesterday I would’ve stayed without any questions, but now everything’s changed.”

  “What changed?” Sabrina squeezed her arm. “Are you really in danger?”

  She nodded. “Scott’s dangerous. He’s into a lot of illegal shit and has plenty of men who are eager to do whatever he says.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this.” Sabrina frowned. “It kills me to know he hurt you. If I knew where to find him, I’d kick him in the balls. Then when he’s hurting, I’d grab his ears and pull his head down into my knee. I’d have to wear my old jeans though ’cause it’d split his nose wide open.”

  Jane smiled at this coming from someone she knew who screamed when a spider crossed her path. Then she said, “If he shows up, I don’t want you anywhere around him. I’m serious, Sab. If I hear you even looked at him, I’ll stop being your friend.”

  Sabrina shrugged and lowered her gaze to the table. “You stopped being my friend when you took up lying to me. Four years of lies, and worst of all, you didn’t trust me to help you.”

  “I do trust you!” Jane exclaimed, then lowered her voice. “God, you don’t know what it was like.”

  “Obviously.” Sabrina picked apart the paper napkin in front of her. “You were my best friend. It’s my job to support you. It was my—”

  “I know! I know…” Jane sighed. “I was embarrassed. I lost myself, Sab. I’m still floundering, but a lot has happened the last few days. I’m sick at ho
w I’ve acted. I was always strong and never let anyone tell me what to do. Then it was like Scott killed that part of me, but I’m finding strength again. I need to make him pay for what he’s done.”

  Sabrina sniffed. “I just feel so damn helpless and mad. You of all people should never be treated that way, especially by a man who doesn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as you.”

  “No one should,” Charlene said softly.

  “You’re really going to go with Kage?” Sabrina asked.

  Jane nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Now that Kage finally has you in his life, he’s not going to let you go…or take two feet away from you. He’s got it hard for you. Always has.” Charlene studied her for a few long seconds until a smile grew on her face. “Makes my heart glad to see two of my favorite people on the way to getting their happily-ever-after. Now, let’s hear how good the sex was with him.”

  “What?” Jane said.

  “Sex. The most beautiful thing in the world.” Charlene cackled. “It sure isn’t my waffles putting a smile on that man’s face.”

  “Charlene!” Jane laughed.

  “That’s what I’m talking about. Mm-hm.” Charlene raised her brows, squinted at Jane and Sabrina, and nodded with experience.

  “Today keeps getting juicier.” Sabrina squealed. “I need details. Is he good?”

  Jane nodded, grinning. “The best.”

  “I knew it.” Sabrina fanned her face. “Did you”—she nudged Jane with her shoulder—“you know?”

  Her face heated and she snorted. “I’m not telling.”

  “Come on.” Charlene nudged her. “Let those who’ll never know the powers of that sexy body live vicariously through you.”

  Jane scooted back her chair and stood. “Fine. Yes. I did. Twice.”

  Both women screamed and clapped their hands. Jane shook her head and looked out the kitchen window when the back door opened. She jumped, whirling around.

  “Sorry to interrupt and cut your visit short.” Kage pointed to Sabrina and Charlene. “Janie and I have a few things to do. I’ll walk you both out.”

  “What?” Jane walked to Kage’s side. “They just got here.”

  Kage put his hand around her waist, slipped his finger through her belt loop, and pulled her close. “Sun’s going to go down soon, and I want them in town before it gets dark.”

  She sagged against him. “I hate this.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I know, but it’s only for a little while. Stay here while I walk them out.”

  Jane hugged and kissed Charlene and Sabrina, promising they’d get together soon. She closed the door, ran to the window, and continued to wave to them as they pulled out of the driveway, despite knowing they couldn’t see her. Damn you, Scott. I’ll kill you myself for ripping my life away.

  Kage returned to the house, his gaze finding her. Her stomach flip-flopped. Something was wrong.

  He dug into his pocket and extracted a red ribbon with two silver hoops dangling at the bottom. “Do you recognize this?”

  She jumped to her feet and rushed over to him, bile burning her throat. He held the ribbon toward her, and she crossed her arms. She didn’t have to look or touch it to know it was her missing pair of earrings.

  “Where did you find them?” She raked her teeth over her bottom lip.

  “When I went outside earlier, I found them on the handle of the back door. I didn’t want to say anything with Sabrina and Charlene here. They’re yours right?” He dropped his arm to his side.

  She nodded. “My missing earrings. I could swear I left them in the bathroom. But maybe I took them off at the garage.”

  Kage shook his head. She swallowed hard. “So, that’s that. He’s found me. He’s come into the house, took my earrings, and thought it would be funny to show me he can get to me anywhere, even when I’m with you.”

  “This is a good thing.” Kage tossed the earrings on the coffee table. “He’s getting careless.”

  She stared at the ribbon. Nowhere was safe. If Scott could break into the house without tripping the alarm, what was he going to do next?

  “I’m scared,” she said, walking into Kage’s arms. “He was here. In your home. That’s not right, Kage. I don’t like it.”

  He held her close, cupping her head against his chest. “Don’t worry, baby. Carson’s stepped over the line. If he wants to play dirty then we’ll play.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  An hour later, phones calls made, incident reported, Kage set down the phone and stalked toward Jane, his gaze intent and heated. Her stomach rolled and her body tingled. She backed up until she felt the wall behind her. She needed something to hold herself upright as waves of desire pulsated through her, threatening to sweep her legs out from under her.

  She swayed and caught herself. Um. Okay. She was going to have to figure out a way to control her reactions when alone with Kage.

  Swaying from dizziness any time he gave her a look that said he could still taste her on his tongue would not do. He hooked her neck, pulling her to him. Inside, she giggled uncontrollably and wondered if he could hear how silly she sounded.

  She held on to his shirt. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m trying to kiss you,” he murmured.

  Oh. Kissing was good. Better than excellent.

  His thumb massaged the side of her neck. She trembled and leaned into him.

  “You like that, baby.” His other hand went to her lower back, holding her in place. “I love how you feel against me.”

  Standing in front of him she felt vulnerable, stripped of any defenses. Her bare foot slid along his boot. He could crush her, not only her toes, but her whole body, her mind, her heart. She struggled to find herself, find balance after coming out of an abusive relationship with one man into a mind-consuming relationship with Kage that left her breathless.

  “I thought we were going to kiss,” she whispered.

  The corner of his mouth lifted and he nodded. Her gaze dropped to his mouth but he made no move toward her.

  She moistened her lips and rubbed them together. “When will this kiss happen?”

  His cheek twitched. He was losing the battle of hiding his laughter. Impatient, she planted her hands on the front of his chest and pushed him. Her strength no match for his bulk, she shoved him again with no better results.

  “Whatever.” She ducked and moved around his body.

  She made it barely two feet before he snagged her around the waist, hauling her back against his body. She went limp. He didn’t play fair.

  “Go in the bedroom, get naked, lie on the bed, and then I’ll kiss you,” he said in her ear.

  Her body melted at his words, but her mind wasn’t falling for his ordering her around. She jerked against him. No way was she going to let him dictate how and where they were going to have sex.

  She’d spent what seemed like a lifetime doing whatever Scott wanted. To the point where she’d lost herself and hated who’d she’d become. She wouldn’t allow Kage to make her feel needy, even if inside she craved him more than what she deemed healthy.

  “I’m proud of you, Janie,” he whispered.

  She stilled. “What?”

  “Fight me all you want. Tell me to go to hell. Storm out of the room and refuse to let me touch you.” He picked her up, and she grabbed onto his neck to keep from falling. “I would never want you to think you don’t have a choice.”

  “Then why didn’t you kiss me instead of ordering me to take my clothes off?” She turned his face toward her.

  “Because when I’m around you all I can think about is having you again and having you look at me like I put the sunshine in your day.” He walked into the bedroom. “Never doubt how I feel about you. I’m not Scott. I’ll never hurt you, physically or mentally. If you want me to go slower or faster, all you have to do is talk to me. I want you to learn that it’s okay to say no or to put your own needs first. I want you to believe that you’re free from all the shit th
at darkens your past, baby. Can you trust me to protect you?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  He picked her up and sat down on the bed with her in his lap. She stared at a spot on the wall over his shoulder. He made everything sound easy, and she believed him.

  She brought her hands up to his face and placed feather-light kisses to his mouth. “I trust you”—she nibbled—“believe in you”—sucked on his bottom lip, pulling back softly—“and will get naked for you.”

  She squealed in surprise as he took her to the floor. Her hands went to his shirt, pushing the material over his chest, until he ripped the offending fabric off and flung it behind him. She reached for him, but he rocked back on his knees, his hands making quick work of the zipper of her jeans. A thrill went over her at his hurry, and she laughed, loving every minute.

  Kage’s hand shook with urgency and his gaze locked on hers. “Condoms are in the bedroom.”

  She groaned. The wait was killing her. “Go. Hurry.”

  He pushed himself to his feet and jogged out of the room. She smiled into the empty space and wiggled out of the rest of her clothes. If he wanted her naked, she’d get naked.

  She’d just lain back down when he returned, holding up the foil package. She reached for the protection, and he stripped out of his jeans. By the time she was finished rolling on the condom, her own hands shook.

  “God, I want you. Now.” She pulled him down on top of her.

  He captured her mouth, sinking between her thighs. She lifted her hips, sighing against his lips as he entered her with a hard thrust.

  There was something about the way he took her that struck a chord deep inside of her. It was more than him wanting her. He needed her. His presence in her life went further than sex but brought a balance back within her body and mind, healing her soul. The intensity of how much she wanted to connect with him, to know she could depend on him, surprised her.

  She orgasmed, and he quickly followed with a grunt, holding himself on his elbows. His hands framed her face. She studied the pleasure on his face, the harsh breath sweeping over her neck, and her own rapid heartbeat and sensitivity to his touch.