Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One)

by Huffert, Barbara

  That was when the phone rang. “Hello,” Kiley answered in a very small voice.

  “Kiley? It’s me. Are you okay? You sound upset.” Jordan’s concern could be heard in his voice.

  “Oh. Hi.” She fought to rein in her emotions. “I’m fine. Sorry. I was just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “Uh, nothing really. You’ll think I’m silly.”

  “Please tell me,” he urged gently.

  “Well…um…it’s just…well…I wish…”

  “You wish what?” Jordan asked once she’d clearly stopped speaking. “You know if there’s anything I can do, I will.”

  “But it’s late. You’re tired. Me too. It’s just…”

  “Are you wishing that we were together, like I am? I miss you ridiculously, considering that I saw you a few hours ago. And yes, I am tired but I doubt I’ll sleep very well. You see, it may have only been a few nights that I slept with you in my arms but my bed is still going to seem very empty tonight.”

  “Jordan,” Kiley sighed, fighting tears. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  “Then I suggest we remedy this. That is, if you want to too. If you do, all you have to do is invite me over and I’ll be there in no time.”

  “Are you sure it’s not too late?”

  “Yes or no answer please, Kiley. Do you want to be alone tonight?”

  “No but…”

  “Stop. No buts allowed. One more question, again yes or no only. Do you want me to come over now and hold you while we sleep?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Then I’ll be right there.” He hung up, not giving her the chance to protest.

  * * * * *

  “Thank you,” Jordan said as he closed the door behind him and swept Kiley into his arms.

  “For what? Not wanting to spend the night without you?”

  “Definitely that but also for making sure it was me before you opened the door and for not changing out of your nightshirt.”

  “I always check who’s at the door first. I will admit I considered changing but then I realized that I don’t own anything remotely sexy other than what I wore today and I didn’t want to put it back on since you already know I always shower when I get home.”

  “Kiley, the sexy part of that little green set is you. You do look incredibly delicious in it and as expected I did spend all day picturing you. But I spent Saturday afternoon, stretched out on your bed, visualizing you in something more like what you have on now and that image is just as hot.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “Nope, trust me. You are one fine woman no matter what you’re wearing.”

  After refastening the security chain, she went into the bedroom. “Can we continue this conversation in bed?” she asked. “Oh,” she realized what she’d said. “I didn’t mean… I just thought…”

  “You thought we’d be more comfortable stretched out while we talk.” Jordan turned her to face him and tipped her chin. “I didn’t come here to seduce you. We don’t have to make love or have wild, out of control sex every time we’re in bed together. I missed you. All of you. It seems like ages since I was with you. You haven’t smiled at me in hours. My hand felt empty all afternoon since yours wasn’t in it.” He buried his face in her hair before he continued. “Yeah, you smell as good as I remembered and your lips look as kissable as I thought they did.”

  “And you, Jordan McKade, sound just as sexy as ever.” She unbuttoned his shirt and hugged him with her arms beneath it. “You still smell wonderful too and your chest feels as good on my cheek as it did last night. Please come to bed now. I want to hold you while we talk.”

  “Damn, woman! I’m trying to convince you I’m not here just for your body and you go and say things like that.”

  “So you’re not totally opposed to the idea of our bodies touching then?”

  “I’m very much in favor of it. I just don’t want you to think that that’s the only reason I wanted to come over.”

  “Do you think that’s the only reason I wanted you here?”

  “No.” Jordan stripped to his briefs and climbed in bed beside her.

  “Then why would I think that about you?” Kiley switched off the light and snuggled into his embrace. “Now that we have that settled, is it okay if I kiss you hello?” She shifted and gave him the sweetest, softest kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me too. How was your day?”

  “Long. The morning went quickly enough, with Dee’s teasing. Then when Brett showed up before you, they just had to tell Henry all about us. And you, well you know what happened while you were there. God, Jordan, I can’t believe how excited I was. All you did was look at me.”

  “You had the same effect on me.”

  “Yeah but at least you had a coat to hide behind and you don’t blush. I think it took me half the afternoon before I could concentrate fully. Then we had a slew of groups. Two of the night girls called in so I helped with drinks all evening.”

  “You must be exhausted.”

  “I am but it’s a good kind of tired. We’re usually steady Mondays but tonight was nonstop hectic. Poor Henry kept trying to give us breaks but the bar was really busy too.”

  “Don’t your feet hurt?”

  “No more than they do every Monday.”

  Jordan slid away from her. “Scoot up.” He had her feet on his lap before she realized what he was doing.

  “You don’t have to… Mm, that is so good,” Kiley sighed contentedly as he massaged her feet. “You’re amazing.”

  “Nope, still just me.” He hit a particularly good spot and Kiley moaned in appreciation.

  “Tell me about your day. How was the test?”

  “It was actually kind of fun.” He told her the scenarios it contained and how he suggested they be resolved.

  “How do you know all this stuff?”

  “Mostly it’s common sense. You just have to pay attention to circumstances.” He proceeded to give her another of the problems and asked what she’d recommend. “See, Kiley? You answered that the same way I did. You need to give yourself more credit. You have great instincts when it comes to people.”

  “So good they got me drugged. Do you think he’s gone?”

  “No, he’s still hiding in his apartment.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I met up with Jesse after lunch. They’ve been watching Winslow around the clock since last Thursday. We gave him a little push.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Jesse and I went to see Bo. I wanted to know how he’s involved in this.”

  “Jordan! Wasn’t that dangerous? You could have been hurt.”

  “No, Kiley. I meant it when I said he’s an okay guy other than being a bookie. And he was expecting me to show up sooner or later. Besides, Jesse was with me. We were in a public place and I made it clear that I just wanted to talk.”

  “You say this Jesse being there made it safe but how?”

  “When this is done I’ll introduce you. Jesse is very capable of giving the impression of being someone you really don’t want to mess with. I’m sure he was armed even though it wasn’t necessary and I know he knows what he’s doing in a physical confrontation. I also know he’ll never use force unless it is absolutely necessary. Bo got that right away so there was no need for Jesse to do anything other than sit there.”

  “How can you sound so calm?”

  “Because everything really was fine, Kiley. Trust me, please? All we did was ask a few questions. Winslow owes Bo three thousand two hundred dollars, which is higher than he usually goes. He only did it this time because he knew Winslow was onto something with Samuels and figured it was worth taking the chance. He had no idea Winslow was planning on bringing you into it and can’t believe he actually tried to pull something that stupid. Bo’s already made it crystal clear with Samuels that he wasn’t involved.”

  “So now what? We just keep sitting around until does
something?”

  “Basically, although I had Bo give Winslow a call to ask when he was getting his money. He implied that Winslow needs to settle up fast because he’s running out of time. Jesse figures that thinking Samuels is out of patience will force Winslow into action. It was too late for him to hit the bank today so it’s likely he’ll make his move in the morning. There’s no way he’ll run without his money.”

  “But you said his account was frozen.”

  “Exactly. He’ll find out when he gets to the bank and by the time he leaves, I should be able to get there. Hopefully I can convince him to pay up. It’s probably his only chance of walking away from this after what he tried to pull.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry, Kiley. I can’t believe that once he’s cornered Winslow won’t see reason. Especially since Samuels’ guys are still watching him too.”

  “Doesn’t that mean Samuels knows you are?”

  “I doubt it. Jesse and Frank are better at this than most people.”

  “But won’t they stop him as soon as he leaves his apartment?”

  “Not if he heads to the bank. Jesse told me that they’re supposed to stay out of sight until after he goes for his money.”

  Kiley gawked wordlessly. “So Bo just made this call for you?”

  “He did once I explained that by helping me, he stands a better chance of regaining what would otherwise be a definite loss. I also told him it was the least he could do since the situation was so dangerous for you.”

  “But you said he didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “He didn’t but he still needs to know how serious I am about this. No one is going to do that to a woman, any woman, if I can help it. The woman being you just makes me angrier. If Bo knows I’m willing to help get this mess straightened out, other people will hear about it and maybe it’ll make someone else think before they try a similar stunt.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Why, Kiley? All I’ve done is try to fix this by making sure Winslow doesn’t skip town without paying his debts. I talked to Bo and enlisted his help in pushing things along so everything’s settled quicker.”

  “You didn’t threaten this Bo person?”

  “Threaten Bo? How, by taking Jesse with me? I believed Bo when he said he didn’t know what Winslow was going to do. I’m trying to get him his money too. I took Jesse so Bo didn’t try to run. And also because I thought you’d be more comfortable, knowing I didn’t meet with Bo alone.”

  “I wouldn’t have wanted you to see him at all if I’d known you were going to. Why didn’t you tell me? And how did you know where he would be?”

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry over nothing. I knew where he was because I’ve used him for information in the past. I told you, Kiley. He’s really not a bad guy. We had a long talk when we first met and we understand each other. He knows I’m asking questions for myself and not to interfere with his business.”

  “But if he knows you why would he run away from you?”

  “Because he could tell how furious I was last Thursday when I realized Winslow drugged you. Some of the people he deals with would have swung first and asked questions later. In his line of work, it’s a good policy to be cautious, especially when someone messed with someone else’s girl. Keep in mind that I’ve always kept a certain distance when I got information from him in the past, even though I did help him out a few times by mentioning some people he might want to reconsider dealing with. He really had no way of knowing how I was going to react without you there.”

  “What if he had run?”

  “I would have caught him and then we would have talked. I had my class to get to. I didn’t feel like chasing him and wasting that much time. I couldn’t have gone to him earlier because I didn’t want Winslow to have time to get to the bank today, again because I had class. Tomorrow, I have the time to deal with him if I need to.”

  “What about your big meeting?”

  “Brett and Sadie can handle it if necessary. Everything is ready so even though I would like to be there I really don’t need to be. It’s not until early evening anyway. I suspect Winslow will make his move long before then.” Jordan could see Kiley’s face in the glow from the streetlight. “Are you really afraid of me?”

  “No, I guess not. You just sounded a little dangerous for a minute.”

  “I won’t lie to you, Kiley. If you’re ever in jeopardy again, I will be dangerous. I could never stand by and let you be hurt. I know how to fight and I will if I have to just like I would have then. But Kiley, I do know there’s a time and place for everything. I’m not the kind of man who would resort to violence unless there’s no other option.”

  “Jordan, I wasn’t saying I think you’d go around beating people up for the heck of it because I know you wouldn’t. It’s just that you know all these guys.”

  “Yes, I know them but I don’t socialize with them. I don’t transact business with them. I don’t invest for Bo and I don’t bet with him either. We exchange information now and then. That’s it. You already know Samuels tried to hire me at the beginning and I refused him. The same with various other less than legal businessmen. They’re part of the neighborhood. I still think it’s better to know everyone slightly than it is to be unaware.”

  “I don’t know which is worse, you knowing real criminals or Alyssa hanging out with gang members.”

  “She’s a good example. She let those guys get to know her enough to trust that she wasn’t there to turn them in. I’m not looking to turn anyone in either although if I’d caught Winslow in the act I certainly would have. Honestly, Kiley, I believe it takes all kinds. Who am I to judge how someone makes a living? As long as they don’t intentionally hurt others then I don’t really care what they do with their lives. Frankly, I’m much more worried about your cousin than I ever have been about me. She’s right up there with Shane.”

  “I guess you do know what it’s like to worry about someone who takes risks, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. You need to trust me, sweet. I don’t take unnecessary risks, in spite of who I may know. I need to be involved because I want Samuels to understand that you weren’t there by choice. And, even though I’m not really sure he deserves it, I’m doing what I can to get Winslow through this in one piece.”

  “Wait.” Kiley sat up and switched on the light. “You’re doing this partly because you want him to know I wasn’t there willingly? What would happen if he thought I was?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t want to find out either.”

  “Oh my God, Jordan! If he thinks I agreed to be there…” She was too horrified to continue.

  “See? That’s precisely why I’m doing all I can to protect you. I will protect you, Kiley.” He held her gaze. “I promise.”

  “I’m so stupid. You sounded so sure they knew Winslow tricked me that I never even considered they might think I agreed to be there.” She shivered.

  “You are not stupid,” Jordan stretched out next to her again. “You’re beautifully innocent, as you should be. You know there are plenty of bad things in the world but why should you have to think of them in terms of you specifically? No one should be shoved into that position.”

  “I guess.” Kiley wanted to accept what he was saying.

  “Why don’t you turn off the light and let me hold you? I came over here so we could both sleep better and I’ve managed to make you tense instead.”

  “Jordan, I did that to myself, not you. I’m the one who didn’t think of all this before even though I should have. You simply told me what you did today as I asked you to do. I like talking to you about everything, not just fun stuff. I don’t want you to hide things from me because you want to protect me from my own ignorance. I’m a big girl. So what if I worry? I’m going to do that anyway, even when there’s nothing specific to worry about, okay? I’d much rather know what’s going on.”

  “Fine, Kiley. I won’t kee
p things from you, even if I think it would be for your own good.”

  “Thank you.” She flipped the light back off and snuggled against him. “And thank you for rubbing my feet. They feel so much better.”

  “Glad to be of service.”

  Kiley was quiet for a long time. “Jordan?”

  “Hmm?”

  “It feels nice, knowing you’d protect me.”

  “Good because it feels nice, knowing I have you to protect.”

  Kiley was wrapped in his arms, pondering all he’d said, since he got there and over the weekend. In that moment, she decided she didn’t want to give him up. She had to find a way to keep him interested somehow. They’d just had a conversation and she’d held up her end of it, even though parts of it upset her. When he was talking about his test, he’d listened to what she said in a way that didn’t seem like he was humoring her so maybe she wasn’t actually as much of a ninny as she considered herself to be.

  While Kiley was lost in thought, Jordan had been gently rubbing her back as if to relax her. Suddenly, she was very aware of his hand. It never strayed but she started to want it to. Kiley began to trace lazy circles on his chest. Her head was on his shoulder and it wasn’t much of a shift for her tongue to be able to flick his nipple. She proceeded to nibble her way to his neck while her hands continued to caress him.

  “Whatcha doing, sweet?” Jordan couldn’t stay silent any longer.

  “Indulging myself,” she whispered, brushing his lips with a fleeting kiss. “Unless you prefer that I didn’t.”

  “Go ahead. I don’t mind.”

  “Good.” She kissed him more thoroughly. “Earlier, when you showed what you were hiding behind your coat it was all I could do not to drag you to the back. I still can’t believe that I do that to you.”