by Kells, India
“Isabel! What’s going on?”
“I just felt faint. It’s nothing.”
“Hold on.” She sensed him moving and water running before she jumped when he put a towel soaked in cold water on her neck.
Cursing, Isabel jerked but he kept it firmly in place. “Hey! The goal here was me stopping being cold!” She could whine about the method, but the contact shocked her system, clearing her vision.
Kai touched the bath water and emitted a low growl. “I don’t know what your goal was, but this hot enough to make a stew. No wonder you almost fainted. That’s dangerous.”
More or less dangerous than running through the streets of the city, escaping flying bullets?
With the door opened, the heat slowly escaped the room.
The next time he spoke, Kai’s voice was gentler, echoing with care. “Why were you so cold? You should have told me. There is a fireplace here, and I could have played with the thermostats.”
How could she explain that cold feeling that invaded her body when confronted with difficult situations? “Don’t worry about that. Sometimes I just can’t warm up.”
“What does that mean? Did you see a doctor about it?”
Steadier, Isabel started to stand to avoid going where the conversation was leading. Kai scrambled up, holding her arm to prevent her from falling again.
Waiting a couple of seconds, Isabel smirked. “Well, look at that, I can stand on my own again. I have to ask Zoe what she put in my glass, it’s strong stuff.”
As she finally got the courage to look at his face, he didn’t offer her a smile. On the contrary, Kai had turned serious.
“You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
His hands went to her tangle of wet hair and took each strand and put them behind her ears. “I’m trying to understand you. To discover who you are and not hold on to dreams of who you were. To discover who we are now, not who we were in the past. A lot of time has passed between us. I’ve realized I’ve carried a dream version of you, and I guess, you of me. I’ll admit that your revelations have taken me back. And for a moment, I did judge you. I admit it. Then, I heard my grandma’s voice in my head, telling me to look at my sins before daring to judge another soul. I think that if we want to see if something’s survived from that time on the beach, we can’t live in the past. And to do that, I believe we must put our cards on the table.”
His eyes bore deep into hers as he released his grip. Satisfied she wasn’t going to collapse again, he went to get Zoe’s pajamas then left again.
Shivering, Isabel quickly put on the pink flannel pajamas. Isabel was glad they fit loosely, wrapping her body in a cloud of softness. After putting the rest of her clothes in a pile, she searched for a brush and wiped the fog from the mirror.
Seeing herself, she poked out her tongue at her reflection. Isabel knew what she had to do and went to get to know the stranger in the living room.
* * *
Kai was lying on the couch in his dress pants and shirt, one muscled arm slung over his eyes, his hair mostly flowing out of its tie. Isabel knew he wasn’t asleep.
Walking past him, she went to the large windows overlooking the vast city, where monsters lurked, both known and unknown. When she left the industry, she’d promised herself she would get her MBA and start living. Now was the moment to start it seemed.
Isabel returned to the living room area, sat cross-legged on the sofa opposite Kai, and started untangling her hair. One task that would take some time as she’d forgotten to use conditioner.
“When I applied to the MBA program, I had to do a few online courses and I brought them to the set to study between takes.”
It took a couple of seconds, but Kai peeked from under his arm. “What are you doing? Why are you saying that?”
“You said we should get to know each other, I offered information. Your turn.”
Kai blinked a few times, as if to computing what she was saying and finally sat up on the couch. “I inherited my grandma’s shack by the beach when she passed away. I still have it. I regularly go back there to do repairs and keep it standing.”
Isabel nodded and continued. “I’m allergic to cats.”
That time he laughed. “Quite a revelation! I’m speechless.”
“Hey! I’ve told you the most important bits already. You’re the one playing dark and mysterious here.”
As she hoped, he smirked and shook his head. “I doubt I’ve heard all of your crunchy bits, babe. But fair is fair.”
He got to his feet and came by her side, taking the brush out of her hands and turned her so he could start brushing her hair. “When you left, I searched the entire island for you. I got drunk for the first time in my life. And stayed that way until the day I had to report for training. I was still running on alcohol fumes when the drill sergeant started yelling at me. I remember my head was throbbing so hard, I think I puked nonstop until lunch time. Your turn.”
His touch was careful as he worked through her hair, in a soothing motion. “I chewed on garlic cloves before a scene because I despised the partner I was working with.”
The deep chuckle behind her warmed her belly. “Cruel woman. Okay. I pretty much went through the Army off the radar. Training, missions… I felt so detached, nearly sabotaged myself until we went into a joint mission with a Delta Force team. Working with those guys was a revelation. The teamwork, the skills, the dedication, it was like my reasons for joining the Army finally made sense. I applied immediately.”
Isabel was searching for the next thing to say when Kai continued. “The training was hell in so many ways—physically, mentally. And that was just joining. But somehow, it pushed away all the thoughts of you. The more I worked at developing my physical abilities, the longer I could sleep at night without seeing you in my head. I threw myself into work to become the best version of myself at what I did. It paid off and I was assigned to a team.”
Again, he paused and this time, she waited for his cue, but again, he continued. “The members of my team, those men, they were the very best I’ve ever known. I had been alone all my life apart from Grandma, and until I discovered I had brothers, those soldiers were exactly that; the brotherhood on which I could rely and defend with every ounce of strength I had in me. Mission after mission, it deepened. Most of them had families or were starting one, but in the end, in the middle of battle, we had each other.”
His voice turned hoarser, a twinge of pain laced with it. “Things turned into a nightmare during one mission. From the start, something was off. Everything felt rushed and unplanned, and it was the first time we were sent to defend a compound. Later on, I discovered that Finch had pulled some strings, bribed and blackmailed higher ranks into deploying Delta Teams to defend his own interest during an uprising. I can’t tell you the details, but the entire country was on the verge of a revolution, and Finch didn’t want to let go. He’d had strong ties to the falling government for a long time which brought him loads of money. Dirty money. To make sure it didn’t appear in the books, he had accumulated it in gold. We thought we were transporting sensitive security documents when in reality, we were securing Finch’s fortune. And it came at a risk to our lives when the compound was surrounded by rebels as we ran toward the last helicopter leaving the area. As we defended the helicopter against the incoming enemy, it left without us. We were trapped. We fled through the streets, but there were people everywhere, and no way of escaping. We were finally able to lock ourselves in a building on the edge of town, but word spread fast, and we were running low on ammunition. Even radio contact was problematic. That’s when I decided to go on the roof and try to reach our base again. There was no time to react when they started throwing grenades at us. It rained explosives, and the building collapsed on itself. I didn’t know if my teammates were still alive, only that I was trapped and only had access to my handgun with a limited number of bullets. I was covered in blood, and I could hear people I knew screaming underneath. I felt the rebels cl
osing in on me, when I heard a whistle of a missile and saw a bright light. That’s all I can remember. I woke in a hospital in Germany where I learned that the team had been retrieved but I was the only survivor.” Kai was immobile now, the brush stopped mid-stroke in the middle of her back. All Isabel wanted to do was turn and take the man in her arms, but the tension vibrating from him advised her to wait some more.
“That was the first time I heard a reference to Jamieson Finch. As you know, my mother died in childbirth, and my grandmother always refused to talk about the man who seduced her daughter. But even without knowing my connection with the man, I couldn’t think about anything but revenge. That emotion exploded when Lazarus reached out, and gave me definitive proof that I was Finch’s bastard son. One of them, at least. Oz helped me redirect my emotions into a mission. I have to see it through. That was the promise I made to my friends, my teammates, who lost their lives for nothing. A mission against a man who uses humans as cannon fodder for his own profit, whose power influences too much politics and too many governments. He has to be stopped.”
When he put his hand on her shoulder, Isabel covered it with her own.
“I am a soldier, Izzy. I have killed people. They may have been declared enemies of ours, but it is a fact. I don’t regret my actions. Maybe I should, but for most of my military career, I know I’ve done my best and stayed true to what I believe in. That doesn’t mean that my hands aren’t covered with blood. Who am I to judge you? You did what you believed was best for your family, to save your mother’s life. I only wish I had known. I feel I could have helped somehow, maybe protected you. Found another solution for you.”
Isabel pulled his hand until he hugged her from behind and his chin was on her shoulder. Surrounded with him, she offered Kai the only wordless comfort she could.
“Maybe I missed my vocation. If I’d known what you were about to do, maybe I could have made a career alongside you. How’s Twirling Dick for a male porn star name?”
As usual, Kai had found a way to make her laugh again.
“Let’s brainstorm the name some more. It sounds more like a disease more than something that would make women wet.”
“You are probably right. Maybe I should ask your mother for advice. I have to say that Mercury Heat has always made me hard.”
This time, she turned in his arms and swatted his shoulder. “I knew you’d seen my videos!”
A bright smile on his face, Kai wiggled his eyebrows. “Every hot-blooded man on the planet had seen your videos. Liam was the first to admit it.”
Wincing, Isabel didn’t want to think about any of the brothers watching her having sex. Kai, on the other hand, made her curious. “You saw me onscreen and didn’t recognize me?”
Kai rolled his eyes. “Please! First, I didn’t think for a second that Isabel Osborne would ever appear in anything like that, it was impossible to me. Second, I have to admit, I wasn’t really watching your face. That wasn’t the purpose for me.”
“I can’t believe we are having this conversation.”
“And I can’t believe that the more we talk about it, the hornier I’m getting. It must be the pajamas.”
Isabel giggled and looked down at herself. “Yeah, it’s definitely the pajamas.”
His fingers traced her fingers, outlining their shape and form, and as the silence grew, so did the tension between them. “Are we done divulging our secrets for now?”
Isabel looked up at him. “It’s difficult to sum up twenty years in two minutes.”
“I agree. But there’s one more thing I want to say. I’m still adjusting to the idea of you being a porn star, but deep down, I want you in my life, in my bed. I won’t say that knowing you’ve slept with so many men doesn’t twist me up inside, but bottom line—it’s you I want. Isabel Osborne, not Mercury Heat. If I can have Isabel, I don’t care about the men or the women—and yes, I know you’ve done videos with women as well—who’ve had Mercury.”
Kai would never know how his words impacted her. She knew it was only the beginning of a long process that didn’t guarantee a happily ever after for them, but it was more than she’d ever expected from him. Kai Jones had surprised her again with the amazing capacity of his heart.
“And I will admit one thing. You overheard me saying you were my first, but you weren’t just the first for that. I’ve only ever orgasmed with you. When I left, I couldn’t do it with other people, except with myself, alone in my bed, my head filled with you. And then, in the alley.”
Lust flashed in his eyes when he turned serious again. She saw Kai swallow hard, licking his lips, a hairsbreadth from hers. “You know how to put pressure on a man, babe.”
Heat flare deep between her legs and what was left of the cold chilling her bones was burned away with desire. “No pressure. Because all I want is you.”
Kai bent to take over her lips, stopping her words and blanking her thoughts, making her focus only on her hunger for him.
Chapter Seventeen
The weight of him over her was one of the things she had missed. His muscles rippled under his skin as he tried not to crush her completely, mindful of her battered body and bruises.
His mouth was no longer that of the eager beach-bum from all those years ago. He licked and teased, using his mouth to coax any response he could get.
It took no more than a few heartbeats for Isabel to relax. In this particular moment with him, she didn’t want to use the tricks of the trade, but instead closed off her brain and allowed her body to take over and feel.
Kai pushed himself back to look at her. “I can feel you tensing. If you don’t want to do this, Izzy, we don’t have to.”
Isabel removed the tie holding back his hair and delighted in the softness and the wild look it gave him. “I’m tense because I don’t want to mess up. So I’m battling with my body not to react as I usually do. In short, I’m a mess.”
With a quick peck on her mouth, he smiled. “If you’re worried about messing things up, I’m in the same boat as you. After all, I’m about to have sex with Mercury Heat, a three-time winner of the AVN Female Performer of the Year award.”
Isabel gaped, astonished that he had known that. Opening and closing her mouth like a guppy, sputtering while searching for something to say, Kai exploded in laughter while kissing her neck. “I told you, I want to know everything about you. But rest assured that I won’t watch all your videos.” With one last kiss, he winked. “Only your greatest hits.”
Shaken by the revelation and how he was making light of her career, she dug her nails into his ribs, making him yelp. “Stop looking at them, please. It’s been five years and I’ve done my best with Gabrielle’s help to hide that side of my life from everyone forever.”
Kai frowned. “You haven’t told me how you and Gabrielle became friends.”
Just as she thought they were out of the woods, the man put his finger in another touchy subject. “You want to talk about Gabrielle now?”
Cursing, he lowered his forehead to hers. “Damn, I’m ruining it, aren’t I?”
“I think it’s fifty-fifty at the moment. We didn’t have any problems in the alley… What happened there?”
“Simple, we didn’t think, we just felt. I didn’t know about your resume and you didn’t know I knew.”
Isabel cupped his face. “Any superhero tricks for turning off your mind?” Hungry for his mouth, she gently traced the seam of his lips and emitted a low purr before taking over.
“We males are visual animals, babe. If I can see you and you let me touch you, I’ll be a happy man.” Kai yanked at her top, and clearly impatient with the buttons, pulled it over her head until he was distracted. Caught in her shirt, Isabel giggled trying to get free of the top until Kai closed his lips around one of her nipples. The games ended right there.
Quickly getting rid of her top, she realized that she needed to see him. When filming, she never allowed herself to think about him, to avoid sullying what he meant to her.
/> There he was looking up at her as he rubbed himself like a panther against her skin. Her hands went into his hair and turned into fists and Kai retaliated by biting the side of her breast. Tugging one last time, she went for his shirt next. Even if he could have easily avoided her grip, he went to her, his mouth turning possessive once more and she relished it. Isabel wanted to be possessed and to possess him.
She pulled the fabric until it ripped. Kai chuckled and reared back on his knees to discard the ruined piece of clothing. The body he revealed made water pool in her mouth and her core spasm with anticipation. Even in the dim light, she could see the ink defining his body and an infinity of small scars and discolorations from his time as a soldier.
In admiration, she put her hand over his belly button and slid it up until it rested over his heart. Isabel wanted to have this moment last forever, but the more she breathed his scent, the more she touched his skin, the more desperate she grew.
Caresses turned to clawing and when she saw his breathing speed up and his body tense and shiver, Isabel hooked her fingers to his waistband. It took more coordination and focus than she had at the moment, but the way he bowed back as her palm cupped the pulsing flesh of his erection, it made her feel like the most powerful woman in the world.
However, the man before her was no longer shy or hesitant. It amazed her to see the surfer turned into a warrior.
Kai fished her hand out and kissed her palm before sliding off the couch and bringing her pajama bottoms with him.
Naked before him, she curled her legs under her and almost covered her breasts with her arms. The way he was devouring the sight of her naked wasn’t staged; it was raw and it made her nervous. Thoughts threatened to surge again and take control and it must have shown because Kai’s expression softened, and he crouched before her.
“Isabel.” Her name rumbling from his lips was enough to steady her and she kissed him. Naturally, his arms hugged her bringing her body closer to his.
