by Debra Kayn
“And look like a puss?” Kage put his arm around her. “I’ll deal with the money and Darrell tomorrow. It’s too late now to make any decisions. I need a beer. Let’s go to Corner Pocket.”
After locking up the office and the front door, Jane headed down the hallway—pausing to shut Kage’s locker—and joined the boys at the back door, along with Sabrina. She leaned into Kage.
She waited for the others to walk out. “Can I ask you something?” she asked him.
He leaned against the wall and pulled her with him until she pressed along the length of him. “Yeah.”
“What’s with the photo in your locker? A street?”
He dropped his chin before looking her square in the eyes. “A reminder to always walk on the right side. I took it with the camera the Dentons gave me when I first moved in with them after my dad went to prison. Kept it, because it reminds me of where I could be and where I want to be.”
Oh, wow. She braced her hand on his stomach, stretched to her toes, and kissed him. “You have more integrity than anyone I know. I’ve always loved that about you.”
His eyes grew soft, and he relaxed. “And I’m going to keep walking the right way, baby. I won’t ever forget. I got you now. Got everything I want.”
Garrett opened the door, stuck his head inside, and raised his brows. “Coming?”
Kage hooked his finger in the loop of her jeans and kept her from walking out. “Yeah, give us a sec.”
Her brother let the door close, and when they were alone, Kage said, “I’m paying.”
“It’s not a big deal. I do have money from Garrett I get for working for him. I won’t touch dirty money.” She patted his chest and kissed him. “Besides, it makes me feel good to be part of the group again. I missed this, and I owe them a lot.”
“You don’t get it. I’m paying.” He stood straighter, so she couldn’t kiss him again.
“Does this have to do with the whole subject of me in your bed, ugh, ‘you’re my woman, let me drag you to my house by your hair’ thing you got going on?” she asked.
His cheek twitched and he laughed. Not in a ha-ha-that’s-funny but in a you’re-freaking-hilarious kind of way that made her happy to let him get away with his caveman act. “Yeah, baby, that’s it.”
She smiled. “Okay then. You’re paying.”
“Yeah?”
She shrugged. “It’s sexy the way you want to take care of me. Gives me butterflies in a good way.”
“Fuck,” he murmured. “Butterflies?”
“Yeah.” She opened the doors. “It’s like foreplay with my clothes on.”
His laughter followed her around the corner of the building and then came to a complete stop. She turned, surprised to see his face go hard, even scary.
She moved toward him. “Kage?”
A tall, good-looking man stood next to a black Lexus. The cut of his suit fit his frame to a T. She studied his face, unable to hide her shock. “Shit. He looks just like you…”
He stepped between her and the man.
“Is that Darrell Archer? Your uncle?” She peered around Kage. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus. He’s coming toward us.”
Kage’s hand settled on her hip, and he pushed her behind him. She slipped her fingers under his belt. Afraid his uncle would demand that Kage go away with him, she planned to keep him here, safe and with her.
“Kage.” Darrell stopped ten feet in front of them. “I believe your woman has something that doesn’t belong to her.”
“I’m aware of that.” Kage’s fingers tightened on her hip. “I don’t appreciate you showing up here, and I especially don’t like how you feel free to contact me when my woman is with me.”
“I’m sure you understand that it would be better if she handed over what she stole, so I can be on my way.” Darrell shrugged, and the motion reminded her so much of Kage. And yet the scumbag wasn’t even good enough to look at him, let alone talk to him. “Considering you used your only marker, it’s in your best interest if we don’t have this unfortunate misunderstanding between us.”
“Kage,” she whispered.
He tapped her side but continued speaking to Darrell. “I’ll meet you tomorrow. Name the place.”
She rolled her eyes. “Kage?”
“Not now, baby.” Kage widened his stance.
“I believe your woman wants to say something,” Darrell said.
“Finally,” she muttered, stumbling out from behind Kage and straightening her shirt. “Mr. Archer?”
“Fuck.” Kage growled and tried to grab her wrist.
She shook him off and gave him a pointed look before turning her attention to his uncle. “I have your money right here in my purse.”
“Jesus. You’re carrying it all on you?” Kage cussed under his breath.
“I have to do this,” she whispered. “Remember, we talked about closure. Now I can be done with Scott Carson and your uncle will leave you alone.”
She pulled out the wad of cash she had wrapped with a rubber band. Kage snagged it out of her hand and pointed at the ground. “Stay put. Do not move, or so help me…”
She shivered but could not hide the grin on her face. He shook his head, and it sure seemed like he was reading her mind because his cheek twitched. Her man was hot.
Kage marched the remaining feet separating him from his uncle. After handing the money to Darrell, he pivoted and walked straight back to her. She smiled. It was finally over.
“Kage,” Darrell called.
Kage turned. “We’re done. Any business that brought us back into each other’s space is over. I expect you to respect the lines.”
Darrell nodded. “You’re still my nephew. My blood flows in your veins.”
Kage remained silent. Jane slipped her hand into his, and he squeezed. He rarely talked about the turmoil of being an Archer, but she trusted Kage, she loved him, and she would support him in his quest to walk on the right side of the road.
“I have something for your woman.” Darrell smiled at Jane. “A welcome-to-the-family gift, if nothing else.”
“Not happening.” Kage extracted his hand from Jane’s and looped his arm across her shoulders.
Darrell lifted his arm and motioned toward the car. The back door opened and a beautiful woman in a sexy black skirt and deep blue shirt climbed out. Kage stiffened. Jane looked at Kage and back to the woman.
She was stunning with black wavy hair, a dusky complexion with almost an exotic slant to her eyes. Jane stepped closer to Kage, unsure what this woman meant to him.
Kage’s grip tightened even more. The woman held her arms crossed in front of her as she walked toward them. She spotted the gray fur peeking out of the nook of the lady’s arm.
“Bluff,” she whispered, swaying against Kage.
The woman approached her and held out the cat. “She’s a very nice cat, and I do believe she belongs to you.”
Jane nodded her head, accepting the gift and holding Bluff tight to her chest. Unsure what to say, she stood silently, blinking through the tears clouding her vision. The woman dropped her gaze and returned to the car. Darrell lifted his chin to Kage and headed back to the Lexus.
Kage wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her tight to his side. They stayed together until the Lexus drove away. She rained kisses on the sweet spot between Bluff’s ears. You’re safe, Bluff. We have Kage now.
Chapter Twenty-five
The rowdy atmosphere inside Corner Pocket fit Jane’s mood. The drinks came fast, the music played even faster, and all her friends crowded around, admiring Bluff. She leaned to the side and kissed Charlene’s cheek.
“Thanks, hon. I couldn’t bear to leave her alone in the car when I thought I might have lost her forever.” She passed the cat to Sabrina.
“If the inspector comes while you’re here, slip out the back door. Understand?” Charlene winked.
“Perfectly.” Jane smiled. “Nobody will know we were even here.”
Across the table, Sabrina
sat down beside Garrett. She couldn’t help staring. The thought of those two getting together thrilled her. If only her brother would wise up and see that Sabrina was crushing on him. So far, he hadn’t clued in on what everyone else saw when they were together.
Garrett lifted his beer, eyeing the cat, and fell into watching Sabrina with Bluff. Jane squeezed Kage’s thigh under the table. Her brother could deny his attraction to Sabrina all he wanted, but he was definitely noticing her. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her whenever she wasn’t looking at him, which was almost constantly.
She leaned against Kage’s arm. “How do you think your uncle got a hold of Bluff?”
“Don’t know and probably won’t find out.” Kage leaned back and put his arm across the back of the booth. “If you’re ever alone and he approaches you, I want you to walk away. No acting tough. He’s not a man to trust.”
“Do you think he’ll bother you again?”
His fingers went to the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. “Yeah. There’s no running away from family, despite my hate for him. He’s bad news, baby. We can’t ever let our guard down.”
She nodded. She understood his worry, but he wasn’t alone anymore.
Tony strolled to the table and squatted down on Jane’s side but looked at Kage. “Hey, that woman who was with your uncle at the garage…you know her?”
Kage shook his head. “Nope. She’s probably one of his women, unless he’s changed his ruling and is bringing females underground.”
“Damn.” Tony inhaled through his nose. “I could swear I’ve met her before, but that’s crazy.”
Kage leaned forward. “Why?”
“There was a woman, down in Clatsop County, going through the police academy a year ago when I took a safety course for my concealed weapons permit. She was doing drills outside with her squad when we broke for lunch. Smoking hot, you’d never imagine she’d lift a hand and risk breaking a nail, but she was tough. She looks exactly like the woman with Archer.” Tony stood. “Damn, she was sexy. Just thinking about her, you knew she’d burn you.”
Kage stiffened. “You think this woman is the same one and will cause problems for the police bureau?”
“Nah, I doubt if it was her. Probably a good thing, since Archer has a habit of ruining any woman connected with him. Besides, I can’t see him getting cozy with a shield.” Tony heaved a sigh.
“Tony! Get your ass over here.” Lance motioned from the pool table. “Hurry up and break, I have to leave in fifteen minutes for a two-day stakeout.”
Tony walked off, and Jane curled into Kage. “Let’s go home. I’ve had enough excitement for the day.”
He kissed her forehead. “You got it.”
She stood beside the table, hugged Garrett goodbye, and pried Bluff out of Sabrina’s arms. Warmth flooded her at having her cat back with her.
“You need to go to the little kitty’s room? Hm?” She rubbed her nose on Bluff’s ears before turning to Garrett and Sabrina. “Thanks for everything, you guys. I swear, from here on out, I won’t cause any trouble.”
“Stop thanking us.” Sabrina gave her a one-armed hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Maybe I’ll stop in at the garage and we can make plans to hit the mall this weekend if you can get away from Kage long enough.”
“You’re not hanging out at the garage. We have work to do.” Garrett crossed his arms. “It’s not a place for women.”
Sabrina only smiled. “Like I said, I’ll come by the garage.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Jane fought a grin.
Kage curled his arm around her neck and led her toward the door. Before they reached the exit, Charlene planted herself in their path. With her fists on her hips, she stared up at Kage.
“I don’t have that much time, and I’ve decided I’m not letting this go without saying something.” She hitched her thumb at Jane. “The girl loves you.”
Kage raised his brow. “Good thing, since she’s sleeping in my bed.”
Charlene shook her head. “I mean, she loves you, not loves sleeping with you.”
“I know that too,” Kage’s murmured.
“Oh.” Charlene looked at Jane. “You’ve had a lot on your mind lately, and a little slow to catch on. Do I have to explain what he’s doing with you, because he might’ve had more women than we can count, but he’s never taken one to his house and especially not his best friend’s sister.”
Jane laughed, glancing up into Kage’s eyes. “I think I get it.”
Charlene studied them both. They grinned back.
“Come here and give me some lovin’ too, and then get your butts home.” Charlene held out her arms. “You two are going to make me cry. I’m hap-skippy for you.”
“Thanks, Charlene,” Jane whispered, holding her friend. “It means a lot to both of us.”
On the car ride home, Jane stroked Bluff’s back as the cat slept on her lap. She replayed the day, and couldn’t deny that Kage’s uncle freaked her out a little bit.
From all the stories she’d heard, she’d been expecting a monster, but he looked so much like Kage, it surprised her.
“Can I ask you something?” She turned to him.
“Yeah.”
“There must’ve been a time in your life when it would’ve been easier to stay with your uncle after your father went away. What made you decide to step away from your family?” she asked.
“You,” he said.
“No. I’m serious.” She leaned her head back against the seat. “You were just a boy, and family means security to a child. You’d just lost your mom and dad.”
He pulled onto the lane heading toward his house and slowed down on the gravel road. “I am serious. There was a time, I did think about going with Uncle Darrell. I was struggling with building a good reputation for myself, but it wasn’t easy. The Dentons tried to talk with me, but I was young and headstrong, then later the hormones hit and every day seemed like a struggle. I guess I was afraid to rely on them. Looking back, I should’ve.”
“So, they set a good example for you?”
“Yeah. They were pillars of the community, and demanded respect. That kind of presence got attention from everyone they met.” He turned into the driveway and cut the engine. “That’s not what motivated me though. Like I said, it was you.”
“I don’t understand. We were friends through my brother, but I was younger than you.” She slipped her seat belt off without waking Bluff.
“You’re not the only one who wanted to kiss the night you woke me up on the couch, baby.” His gaze warmed and he sighed, his lips curving. “You were beautiful. I swore from that day on, I wouldn’t do anything to make you doubt what kind of a man I was. I wanted you to look at me and see Kage, not another Archer. Then I waited, hoping one day we’d run into each other, the timing would be right, and you would see I’m nothing like my family.”
Oh, wow. She swallowed. “I didn’t know…”
He smiled and cupped her cheek. “Now you do, so what are you going to do with the information?”
She laughed softly. “Take you to bed?”
“Good answer.”
Inside the front door, he took Bluff from her, set the cat on the floor, and kissed Jane. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his hips, and took everything he offered with his mouth.
When his lips left hers and trailed along her neck, she whispered, “I want you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, holding her tighter. The evidence of how much he wanted her was evident in the hardness of his body.
He carried her to the bed, set her on the mattress, and planted his hands on either side of her. She squirmed out of her jeans, taking her panties off too. Then she wiggled out of her shirt, melting as he stripped out of his own clothes. “I need you right now.”
“Don’t want to be anywhere else.” He slipped the laces out of his black boots, kicked them off, and toed off his socks.
She managed to smile through the tears pooling in her vision. “I
love you.”
“I love you too, baby,” he whispered back.
He ran his cheek against hers, his whiskers tickling her skin. She shivered at the tenderness he gave her. His hand roamed up her belly to her breast.
“I never want a time when you’re not in bed with me.” His voice filled with emotion sent her stomach fluttering.
“’Kay,” she agreed, because sleeping without him wasn’t possible. He made her feel safe, loved, and most of all, she wanted to give him something he needed.
Then his hand slid between her legs, and his long finger filled her. His mouth latched onto her nipple. She arched off the mattress at the deep pull that shot straight to her core. She sank her fingers into his hair and moaned.
He slid out of her, circling, stroking, and bringing her higher. Emotionally raw and vulnerable, everything hit her at once, and she spiraled out of control. So desperate to connect with him, she could feel her orgasm building before he even entered her.
He removed his mouth and his hand and she whimpered.
“Together, baby. Don’t come without me. Not tonight. I need you,” he said.
He grabbed behind her knees and pulled her legs up, spreading her more. She latched her ankles around his waist. His weight came down. He slid into her, so hard, so heavy, and so pleasurable. Her back came off the bed again. “Kage.”
He moved back and forth. Fast and hard. She reached up and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, lifting her upper body, and kissed him. Her tongue clashed with his, and he ground his pelvis against her with each stroke of his hardness.
He sped up, taking and giving, needing her as much as she needed him. She scrambled to get closer, almost frantic in her need to ease the hurt that had touched both their lives. He growled in her mouth, and the vibration was enough to push her over the edge. Every cell in her body exploded, and she hung on to him, loving every deep pulse in her lower stomach.
He tore his mouth away from hers and threw his head back, groaning his release.
She came down from the orgasm gently with the help of soft, long strokes from Kage. She collapsed on the bed, smiling lazily up at him. She roamed her hands across his chest, amazed at the strength coming from one man.
