by Keta Kendric
Her lips fell apart at my words as her big eyes searched mine.
“The kitchen is stocked. Try to relax. If you want to lay down, you two take the larger of the two bedrooms.” I pointed out the door for her.
“Is it okay if we sit there on the couch? I don’t. I-I…” she stuttered, still a bit shaken up over what had happened. “I’ll feel better if I can see you,” she stated, dropping her head like she was ashamed to admit something that I took as a compliment. Tywin shot another crooked smirk in my direction as if to say, see what I mean.
“It’s okay. We’re going to be right over here, collecting data,” I lied. Truth was, I had full range on anything security-related, and I didn’t half-ass it with the men I worked with or what they bought to the table.
Our tech guy, Rhino, was running the faces of the guys from the spa through facial recognition. We were hoping CCTV and traffic cams would give us a clue as to where they were staying, are where they came from. Once we found out who was behind the failed kidnapping, we would beat or siphon the why from someone.
Desiree joined Patrena on the oversized brown leather couch. They huddled together under the thick white blanket that was draped across the back.
Why was such a big part of me thrilled that Desiree wanted to be in my sights? Why couldn’t I shake my attraction, knowing I could never be anything more than protector and family?
24
Desiree
Khane approached with his phone glued to his ear. He placed it against his chest before leaning closer. “Will you come with me for a minute?”
Tywin was glued to the laptop, not making a sound except for an occasional sigh of frustration. Patrena had dozed off, so I eased up to prevent waking her and followed Khane into the bedroom.
“Arjen, I’m going to put you on speaker,” he stated, before placing the phone on the mattress between us.
“Desiree, I don’t want you to worry about anything. I heard about the group looking for the Bookkeeper, and this group today.” He had just answered one of my questions, confirming that there were two groups after me. “We are going to find out who they are and put an end to this. I understand that you haven’t been able to contact your father, and neither have I. Therefore, the first place I’m stopping, when I return tomorrow, is his place.”
“Okay,” I replied, unsure if he heard me. Was there more he wasn’t telling me? Was this all happening because of my father? Not knowing anything was driving me crazy.
The situation had left me feeling useless as I couldn’t contribute to solving the problem or finding a solution. There was a possibility that I could lose my life over decisions that I’d had nothing to do with. Arjen’s voice called my attention.
“Desiree, I’m sorry your friend ended up in this.” He sounded distant like he was a world away. “Khane, I’ve seen the footage, it has to be sanitized, but Tywin can take Ms. Davis home. I’ll link up with you tomorrow afternoon. This group was packing serious heat, which leads me to believe that they belong to a high-level outfit. I know you would rather be out there, but for tonight, I need you with Desiree. See you tomorrow. Good night, Desiree.”
“Good night,” I called.
Khane clicked off. A hint of sorrow I’d never seen rode the creases of his expression when his gaze met mine. I placed my hand atop his, desperate for any kind of contact. He turned his palm up, and allowed his big hand to swallow mine as the light stroke of his thumb skimmed the back. The warmth from the soft touch heated the chill the situation had set on me.
He stood, keeping my hand cupped in his. He didn’t let go until he opened the door for us to reenter the living room. I returned to the couch and pretended to nap as I eavesdropped on Khane and Tywin’s conversation.
“Arjen benched you? This is usually the time when I watch and you hunt. Are you on punishment or something? You’re the best he’s got. What’s so important that he…” Tywin’s words stopped short, and I didn’t have to see him to know that his eyes were pointed at me.
Arjen didn’t love me, something I was keenly aware of, but like Mecca had said, I was a multi-million-dollar investment, so he was willing to have Khane babysit me when he was the best man to hunt who was chasing me.
“He didn’t have to bench me,” Khane replied. “I benched myself.” Again, I could sense Tywin’s eyes on me. I think he may have figured out that Khane and I were more than future in-laws.
We woke Patrena a short while later. She didn’t have a problem being alone with Tywin so he could take her home. We gripped each other with a long lingering embrace, and although I didn’t know Tywin, I believed he would do everything in his power to keep Patrena safe.
Khane handed Tywin keys to one of the vehicles that I hadn’t seen when we approached the cabin.
“Are you sure it’s safe for her to go home?” I questioned Khane in a low ton, watching as my friend followed Tywin out the door.
“She’s safer away from this situation. Tywin will sit guard outside her house to be sure,” he assured.
As the door closed behind them, all I could think was, what now?
Alone after Tywin and Patrena’s departure, a deafening silence filled up the cabin. So much had happened in such a short time.
“Desiree, I’m sorry this is happening to you. But, I have to be honest, this sort of violence comes with being a Vallin,” Khane stated.
A smile was forced onto my lips, but more for the sake of letting him know that I understood. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is my fault actually. If I had been strong enough to get on a plane and leave, my father wouldn’t have had me to bargain with, and I wouldn’t be anywhere near this situation.” I shook my head. “Do you ever wish you’d been born into another family? Or have you accepted this lifestyle?”
“Every day,” he responded quickly. “However, this is all I’ve been taught. Instead of college courses, I was learning about weapons. Instead of credits, I earn stripes for kills. Instead of time-out or detention, I was tortured for extended periods of time. I never attended public school because we were homeschooled. My brother and I have learned to blend in, but we will never lose what was planted so deeply within us.”
Damn. Here I was complaining, and he had been raised like a universal soldier. Now, I understood why he was so well-spoken and determined to do his job, even if it meant his life.
Even though I pretended it wasn’t, the street life had been ingrained in me. I knew more about the drug game than I cared to. I had earned respect from the streets because of who my father was, but more so because I had been branded by its danger and lived to tell about it. Now, I had a new set of dangerous principles that needed to be ingrained in me in order to embrace the Vallin name.
Khane’s thoughts had dragged his mind so far away, his eyes appeared to be looking through me and not at me. “There’s not much happiness in this life, only the satisfaction you pull from the darkness. It’s a constant draining sadness, a diseased cycle that never ends. There isn’t a day that passes that I don’t pray things could be different. However, I have yet to figure out how to live without the threats, the fighting, the violence, and death.”
His body tensed when I scooted closer, likely remembering our erotic encounter on his balcony. The scene was as vivid in my mind now as the day it happened, but I only sought to get closer because it appeared he needed some type of comfort whether he wanted it or not. I don’t think anyone other than his brother had ever shown him much care and concern.
Based on what I knew about Khane, I don’t believe he allowed himself to indulge in anything passionate where outside relationships were concerned. He fulfilled his needs temporarily, and that was it. He wasn’t exposed to anything other than what his father had allowed. All else, he and his brother would work together and figure out for themselves.
“What about your house? You seem at peace there. Honestly, I’d find it difficult not to be happy there.”
A small smile tickled his delicious lips. He was o
blivious as to how sexy he was. I could picture myself licking his lips and sucking his tongue as he drove the length of his dick into me without remorse. Desiree! My inner voice reprimanded.
“My home is my escape when I want to be away from everyone and everything. There, I’m surrounded by things that I like, things that I find interesting and beautiful. I suppose there is a certain level of happiness you can create if you try,” he added.
“Created happiness. Like my art. I love creating something beautiful, giving meaning to the things that others throw away. When I walked into your home, I got the sense that I had walked into something meaningful, something beautiful. I honestly felt like I belonged if that makes any sense.”
He stared at me with questions looped in his strained expression. He sensed I was talking about more than his house. I believe I confused him, but I was suffering. I throbbed with an urgent need, a hungry ached for his touch, his kiss, him.
I scooted even closer, removing the last bit of space between us, and liking that my leg was flush against his. When I placed my hand atop his thigh, he jumped.
“Desiree,” he warned, as he attempted to move away with nowhere to go. His buzzing phone sounded and caused him to jump up to answer it.
He spun back in my direction, and after being on it for a few seconds, handed it to me. My face crinkled, but I took the phone.
“Desiree.” Her sweet tone sounded in my ear.
“Patrena. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Tywin let me use his phone so I could let you know I was home and okay. He’s going to give me a disposable to use so we can keep in touch.”
“You have the gift I gave you for your birthday a year ago?” I questioned.
“Yes, it’s already in arm’s reach. Stay safe. Love you.”
“Love you too,” was my response before I swiped the shiny screen of Khane’s phone. The way Tywin had been eyeballing Patrena, I wanted to know if she had her mace spray ready. He was a big-ass dude, just as big as Khane. I knew I was being over-protective, but Patrena was like family, and I didn’t need her getting involved with a Vallin, or to get tangled any deeper in the mess stirring. She was already in enough danger because of me.
My questions after the spa incident returned. Was she always going to be in danger because of her involvement with me? Was I going to have to end our friendship to keep her safe?
25
Desiree
After a moment’s meditation and a deep sigh, my focus honed in on the man who had pushed, pulled, and dragged my willpower past its limits. Although he hadn’t physically moved, I could sense Khane distancing himself from me mentally.
“Get some rest. I’ll do a security sweep,” he said out of the blue.
In other words, let me get away from you before I give in to your drawn-out touches and lingering stares. When it came to my actions with him, I didn’t want to be decent, good, or right. My body and mind agreed with each other on the matter, wanting him in the worst way.
Ignoring the attraction was useless. It wasn’t some lost emotion that was dredged up because I had been lonely and needed to connect. This was pure uncontained power, a circuit that had been switched on and set on high. Khane was the source of the spark that lit the magnificent fire, one that was set to consume me.
I sat for ten long minutes, waiting for him to finish his sweep. When I gathered that he had no intention of returning, I went in search of him.
The sound of metal tools clinking against each other drew me towards the garage with its thick, log walls. The open back wall let in the view of a beautiful moon kissed night. The stars winked like they sensed my raging need to be near Khane. It was like they knew that we were fighting the losing battle of stomping down our chemistry. Trees breached the darkness enough that I made out the flutter of leaves and the sway of branches.
Khane was bent under the hood of a muscle car, a black, 1969 Pontiac GTO. The car was a pleasant surprise, but it fit his personality better than the truck he usually drove. He was rebuilding it from the ground up based on the thousands of parts scattered about the garage. The finish on the jet black paint was glossy enough to be a mirror. My roaming gaze caught the bumper of a dark colored truck parked outside the garage. Did all their safe houses come equipped with getaway cars?
Khane’s back tensed as soon as he sensed my presence, but he didn’t stop as the wrench in his hand continued to twist and grip metal.
Like the pest I had become, I strolled up to him, close enough to be enveloped in his warmth and to catch a whiff of his scent.
I busied my hands by gripping the car’s front-end before I leaned under the raised hood and surveyed the open cavity like I knew what I was looking at. Most of the innards were missing but I could clearly see the engine.
The light shining in from the wall behind us provided a bright view under the hood. I still had no explanation for why I was so drawn to his scent, but my sense of smell seemed to come alive for Khane.
“I know you’re avoiding me. I know it’s wrong on so many levels for me to want you, but I honestly don’t think I can help myself. I’ve finally accepted that my control is lost when it comes to you.”
He lifted from his bent position under the hood, turned, and stared, his gaze raking up my body, with enough deliberate intensity to tighten my nipples. In nothing but his big T-shirt, he noticed my reaction, his eyes on my tits.
The want and urgent craving I had for him climbed from the grave I’d tried to shove them into and sat on the surface of my desire, refusing to be ignored. The charged air surrounding us urged me to act, to indulge in what it desired most—Khane.
Drawn closer to his strong body, I slid my fingers along his side and caused his breath to hitch. Having eyes the same color made his face seem off, but I’m sure it was just me embracing my weirdness.
The protest to what I was doing reflected strongly in his gaze, but his fingertips were at my waist, nonetheless. The connection between us was intense with flowing desire and biting lust that had my breaths rushing out in quick heaves.
The jolts of consuming emotions swallowed me whole. Never having experienced anything like it, I stopped trying to control it when I realized I could no less regulate my connection to him, than I could my need for air. Consequences be damned. I was set to take my punishment when the time came.
“Desiree, we…”
“You’re the only joy I have in this situation, one that could end up getting me killed,” I said, cutting him off. “Don’t you know that? Don’t you understand it?” I stressed.
When his too-big shorts slipped down my legs and landed on the floor, I didn’t bother reaching to pick them up. I stepped out of them and allowed my hands to slide up his muscular arms until they met at his neck.
He visibly swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed as the strain in his clenched jaw eased. The sight of his tongue swiping across his lips had me licking mine, remembering how delicious his kisses had been.
“Khane, I…”
He shook his head, causing me to shut up on a dime. His eyes were caressing my body now, the expression smoldering enough to set me ablaze. I’d opened this door, kicked it in, and pursued him. I had been the stalking predator, unable to resist the bigger prey, one powerful enough to devour me whole. Based on the glint in his eyes, I was immediately aware that I had awakened the animal in him.
“Can I touch you, Desiree?” He was washing his hands on a clean towel now. His penetrating gaze bored into mine.
“Yes.” My word was shaky, breathy.
“Anywhere?” He tossed the towel.
“Yes. Anywhere,” I replied.
“With whatever I want?” My eyes dropped to the wicked bulge straining against his pants.
“Yes. With whatever you want.” It didn’t matter what he asked; I was going to tell him yes.
He drew me in close, pulling me into his hard body before he turned me so that my back was to the car. My damn legs jumped, unable to contain the high level of
anxiousness his actions were filling me with. Was this about to happen? Was I about to get what I wanted? As wrong as it was, I’d never wanted anything more.
When he tucked one of his muscled arms into his shirt and pulled the back up with his free hand, I waited in breathless anticipation, air rushing in and out of my mouth. He unveiled the cut top half of his body, so masterfully put together that the sight made my mouth go dry. He was a well-developed mix of toned muscles under a cover of naturally tanned skin and enough body art to start his own exhibit.
I knew from the moment I met Khane that his body was ripped, but seeing him up close and in front of me shattered the imagery and the glimpse of him I’d seen on his balcony.
In smooth Khane fashion, he didn’t rush anything, so I had time to enjoy each angle, each movement of the beautifully painted, living portrait he presented. He folded his shirt before reaching around me and sitting it on the car while I feasted on the close-up view of him.
His hand skimmed up my arm, leaving aching tingles in its wake as my chest moved faster to keep up with my lost breaths. Unable to stand still in front of him, I stopped trying to keep my jittery movements contained. His slow-moving hand didn’t stop until it was at my neck, and his thumb brushed over my chin, the feathery caress making my eyes close.
He leaned in until his lips covered mine, enticing a throaty moan that kissed my persistent arousal. He didn’t move his lips right away, allowing us to revel in the smooth contact, the warm rush, the perfect fit.
Once his lips started to move over mine, I melted for him, releasing a sigh against his mouth. I parted my lips to allow him access. His tongue teased mine with a delicate slide that spread a layer of warmth all over me. His kisses were like elicit dreams, a captivating mixture of spicy and sweet satisfaction.
