Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Book 2)

by Amy McKinley

  When his hands settled on my hips, he guided me to straddle him, and I looped my arms around his neck. A nudge to the small of my back and I pressed fully to his solid chest, brushing my lips over his. For the time being, I controlled the pace. Tasting, teasing, until he took control, tangling our tongues together on a moan.

  In a slow caress, his hand moved from the small of my back to cup the back of my head. He tilted my head for a better angle and deepened the kiss. I couldn’t get close enough. Every inch of my body against his burned for more, for skin-on-skin contact.

  I ground down on his hard length that pressed against the apex of my thighs, begging entrance. With a growl, he responded by flexing his hips and pushing up, hitting the exact spot I needed him to.

  When he broke our kiss, I arched into him, my head falling back as he rained kisses down the side of my neck. His teeth sunk into the curve where my neck and shoulder met at the same time as he pushed against me, sending a burst of sensations through my body. I cried out, light exploding behind my eyelids.

  I floated in a cloud, tethered by his embrace.

  My head was cradled against his chest as both of us regulated our breathing. The morning filtered back in slow increments, and I wanted to return to bed and spend the day with him there. But we had an unpleasant task to do.

  When he stood, holding me to him, I let my legs slide down his body until my feet touched the floor. It was a dose of reality I wanted to fight against, especially when I stepped back, creating space between us. I felt the loss of him instantly, and I didn’t like it.

  “I’ll grab a shower and my purse, and we can go.” After a fast stop to the bathroom and a shower in record time, despite his joining me there, I slipped my feet into a pair of sandals and met him by the front door. Hand in hand, we rode the elevator then got into my car, since he’d driven it for a few days.

  Traffic was thick on the way to the station, and we were quiet, each of us lost in our thoughts. Beside him, I felt safe. The usual worry I felt when I left his condo didn’t exist, and soon, Roy would be behind bars.

  The flash drive was in Jaxon’s pocket, and I preferred it that way. Tomorrow, the newspaper would get the scheduled email and have the scoop on the story. I would let the officer who took my statement know that, too, so they could act immediately. If I didn’t do this, not only would my life continue to be in danger, but some other unsuspecting woman would be hurt in the wake of falling for his charming side—the one that hid the monster.

  As we pulled into the parking lot, a cacophony of nerves slammed into me. Not for who I would face inside, since I knew a lot of them because they worked with my dad, but because of what I would tell them. Dad was away at a bed and breakfast on our suggestion, but I had to make it right and give him and Mom the same story before one of his buddies told him.

  After pulling into a spot and turning the engine off, Jax opened his door. I met him around the front of the car, and we trudged up the steps. But at the top, I tugged on his hand in a silent bid to wait.

  “What is it?” He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, and I fought the urge to burrow into his arms.

  I shook inside. It was a hard step.

  Jax didn’t push me but waited until I was ready to talk, a trait of his that I cherished. He had a wealth of patience and an innate understanding of my mercurial moods.

  “I’m embarrassed. He hurt me. It makes me feel weak and stupid, even though I know I’m not. But I put myself in that situation. I stayed after he did it the first time.” I’d never told him that Roy had slapped me before. I had been so shocked that I couldn’t believe it had happened. I had been so emotionally distraught and mortified that when he apologized and promised he would never do it again, I grasped the lie like a lifeline.

  But my confidence took a major hit that day. I hadn’t known it, but he had been steadily chipping away at it until that last time. If I hadn’t left, my future would have been bleak.

  Jax pulled me into the warmth of his body, and I absorbed the comfort he offered. For several seconds, we stood that way, his hand smoothing the back of my hair in a soothing caress. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Most of the guys in there will want his head for laying even a finger on you. We all understand the psychology behind the abuse. Coming here and sharing your story shows how strong you are.”

  I leaned back, and he brushed his lips across my forehead, taking a moment to breathe me in before we separated.

  “Are you ready?” There was no pressure in his voice or body language, and I knew he would give me all the time I needed to prepare. His patience and the love radiating from his touch did more for me than anything.

  His hand firmly in mine, I nodded and stepped to his side. We walked into the station together, and I greeted those I knew. After a word to Charlie and concerned looks from those around us, I settled into the chair beside his desk. Jax pulled up a second and joined me. With him by my side and a deep, steadying breath, I unloaded my life with Roy.

  Several officers surrounded us by the time we were done, anger swirling in their hard eyes and their jaws clenched. Stephanie’s article was read and logged as evidence. An arrest warrant for attempted manslaughter was issued for Roy.

  I was surprised by how cathartic it was to tell my story for the second time. Once Jax had slid the flash drive across the desk to Charlie, the burden I’d carried lessened substantially.

  Jaxon

  After we left the police station, I drove Kayla back to the condo and walked her inside. Her steps had been lighter, her smile easier. It was the right thing to do, but I couldn’t shake the unease that Roy was closing in. Leaving her side, even though she was behind the condo’s locked and solid door, had been painful.

  I didn’t have a lot of time left at my job as a beat cop, and I was looking forward to when it would come to an end. Kayla and I would go to my family’s island, where I could protect her better. Too bad Xander and Tyler weren’t in residence. Sending her parents away had eased her worry, but I would have preferred that her father stayed. He was a formable adversary, should Roy try anything, heart surgery or not. But I understood her need to remove them from harm’s way because of the tragedy they’d suffered when Kieran died.

  I pulled into my parking space, and as soon as I got out of the car, Mrs. Malone, one of the other tenants in the building, walked by with her tiny chihuahua. I waved just as a beetle scuttled past us, sending the dog into a frenzy of yapping barks.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, dear.” She tugged her dog away from the bug and urged him toward the entrance to the street. “Milo hates bugs.”

  I smiled at the older woman and headed for the elevator as my phone rang. It was Mark, Ty’s friend who worked as an analyst in support of the SEAL team. Alarm spiked. It was odd for him to call. There weren’t too many things he could talk about with me—Ty was the only one of us still in the SEALs who would have had the security clearance. Did something happen to my brother?

  “Jaxon.” Mark’s voice carried a hint of unease.

  The alarm I’d felt at seeing who the caller was increased in volume. “Is Ty all right?”

  “What? Yes. Sorry, that’s not why I’m calling.”

  I gritted my teeth, waiting for him to get to the point. The weight of Kayla’s safety pulled my nerves taut.

  “We have a problem, and since this is in the jurisdiction of military police now, I can share a portion with law enforcement. We found the leak.”

  “Who is it?” It had to have been local, someone on the run, for him to be able to talk to me about it.

  “It’s internal. There was an investigation—we weren’t sure who it was from, and we were all under suspicion. But there were some discrepancies in an email, and the investigative team determined the leak to have come from Malina’s computer.”

  Ty had a thing for her. When they were around each other, the tension between them was palpable. It would hit him hard. “Let me guess. She’s missing?”

  “Yes.�
�

  I squeezed the bridge of my nose, thanked Mark for the heads-up, and disconnected. I would have to find out who led the investigation on our end, and I would eventually. My main concern was how Ty would react when he came home.

  21

  Kayla

  On the balcony and with a glass of Merlot in hand, I waited for Jaxon to get home from work. I’d finished painting the family room and the kitchen, which were open concept. It looked good. The colors my parents picked out were light and beachy, with an undertone of pale blue tinting the white paint. The trim was a bright white, highlighting the walls and giving a refreshing feel to the room.

  They would move in two weeks, and I had to finish packing their place. I planned to have Jaxon take me there that evening for a few hours. Years of living would be hard for anyone to box up in a timely fashion, but with Jaxon helping, we could knock it out quickly. He was efficient and organized—yet another thing I loved about him.

  I leaned my head back, letting the not-too-distant sound of the ocean help to slow my increased pulse at the realization of the depth of my feelings. Honestly, it was nothing new. I’d loved him my whole life. First, as my brother’s best friend and someone I looked up to, followed immediately by years of crushing on him. I had wasted a lot of time, blaming him for the magical night we’d spent together and Kieran’s accident. We’d gone from intimacy to grief, building a chasm between us rather than coming to one another in support. But the devastating news of my brother’s death had blindsided us.

  Through everything, I’d always loved Jaxon, and I was finally mature enough to face the mistakes we’d made with optimism for a bright future where we were together.

  I glanced at the time on my phone. He’d called twenty minutes before to let me know he was on his way home. I’d made lasagna, which was not long out of the oven and cooling on the island.

  In a few short days, Jaxon had once again become my world, and I was more than fine with that. The sound of the door opened, and he called out that he was home. It made me laugh. “Out here!”

  “You made dinner.” He grinned as he stood in the open doorway, leaning against the frame.

  When I turned to smile at him, I caught the tension around his mouth and the corner of his eyes. There was a stiffness to his shoulders, despite the casual pose. Something must have happened, news that worried him. Whether it was work or Roy, I couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t about my cooking dinner. He and my brother used to beg me to make them grilled cheese sandwiches when we were young. I had a knack for making them all kinds of ways, something Jaxon did in adulthood, probably for old times’ sake, a longing for what was. I got it. There were many times I did the same.

  I got to my feet, set my wine glass on the table between the two lounge chairs, and went to stand before him. Rising on my toes, I pressed a kiss to his mouth. “I’ll get us plates. Why don’t you sit out here and relax?”

  I would give him a few minutes to process whatever it was, to decompress. He’d tell me what was bothering him. If not, I would ask. We’d had too many secrets between us, and it wasn’t the time to continue that practice.

  I grabbed him a beer and a plateful of lasagna. Depositing them in his hands, I picked up mine and the Caesar salads then joined him back on the lanai. We ate in silence, and out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed the play of emotions across his features.

  “What happened?” My quiet words broke the stillness between us.

  He shook his head, setting his plate down and running his hands through his short hair. “I found out today that the woman Ty works with is wanted for treason. She’s suspected of leaking sensitive information.”

  “Is Ty still out of the country?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know when he’ll be back. There hasn’t been any additional information about the hostages missing from the US Embassy in Venezuela.” His hands tangled in his hair again as he hung his head. “Fuck. It’s not good news, and Ty cares for her.”

  “I’m sorry.” There wasn’t much I could say. I didn’t know the person he was talking about, but his brother… he was just as intense as Jax. All three of them were, in their own ways. Jax was the quiet, controlled one. Xander had more of an easygoing, carefree nature. And Ty was focused, driven, while also having the Hale charm in spades. He was a year younger than me, and I remember how much the girls in school would fall all over themselves for him, but I’d only ever been attracted to Jaxon.

  I placed my empty plate next to his, and when I went to stand by his side, my hand gripping his shoulder, he pulled me onto his lap. With his head buried in the crook of my neck, we held each other. He breathed me in then told me what bothered him most. “I don’t want to see him hurt.”

  “Are they dating?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. They bicker like crazy. She acts like she hates him. Maybe she does. I don’t know. There’s just this intense tension between the two of them, and I’ve always wondered if there’s more than meets the eye. It’s hard to explain because Ty won’t tell us much.”

  “Maybe the news won’t devastate him then when he gets home?”

  “With this information, I can’t shake the fear that she’s behind all the problems the SEAL team has had. The failed missions, the deaths… and Ty is on one now. If she causes harm to come to him—”

  “Then you’ll find her.” His body was rock solid beneath my touch. Anger came off him in waves. The only way I knew to dissolve the turmoil was to put an end to the way he was thinking. Because I got it—he felt helpless. His brother was out there, maybe in danger. And Jaxon wanted to save him, to stop whatever had already been set in motion. That was who he was. But there wasn’t much he could do.

  We sat together, listening to the waves rolling, the cooling night air with the hint of chill teasing us. As his body relaxed, we chatted about mundane things, like the finished painting and when we would pack up his condo so he could move out.

  “You know this was my last day at the station?” He grinned, and my heart swelled at how handsome he was.

  “I do. Why do you think I made lasagna?” It was labor-intensive, but he’d always loved it when I cooked for him when we were kids.

  “You get me.”

  I patted his washboard abs. “The way to your heart is most definitely through your stomach.”

  He chuckled, tugging at my hands, so I was lying against him again. “You’ve always held my heart, and it’s not because of your cooking. But I’ll take that too.”

  I sighed, content. “You’re sweet to me.”

  “It’s easy. I love you, Kayla.”

  My body heated as I caught his sincere gaze with mine. “I love you too.” We weren’t holding back any longer. “You’re it for me, Jax.”

  He threaded his fingers through my hair, then he shifted me so that we were facing one another, and I was ready for his kiss. The heat of it. The decadent passion. His touch was unhurried as he tasted and teased my lips. A whimper escaped. God, I wanted him. Always. When he deepened the kiss, tangling our tongues together, I was lost. Then found again with each swipe of his tongue and the teasing way he tugged my lower lip.

  By the time we broke apart, our foreheads resting against each other and our breath mingling in erratic puffs, all the worries of the day had faded. He trailed a finger along my cheek until he cupped it with his palm.

  Staying here with him outweighed everything except… there were things we had to do. I could spend hours in his arms in our bed later. Time was ticking, and my parents would return at the end of the weekend because my dad started back to work on Monday.

  “More than anything, I want you to take me to bed. But I need to pack my parents’ house up. I’ve only made a small dent.”

  “You want me to help?” He grinned, and my heart skipped a beat.

  “Yes.”

  “You know I’ll do anything for you.” He pressed a lingering kiss to my lips before helping me to stand. “Why don’t you put on jeans or something a little warmer, and
I’ll clean up the kitchen?”

  I shivered as his hands left my body. It was cooler that night. There must have been a front coming through. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Getting ready didn’t take long at all, and I shoved my phone—glad it was an older vision of the iPhone, so it fit—and the house key to my parents’ place in my jeans pocket, not needing a purse, since Jaxon would drive. It would be a long night, but I was confident we would make a big dent in getting the house ready. And a part of me hoped that Kieran would be there too.

  Despite how much I longed to see my brother, to chat with him even if it was brief, he hadn’t shown. Jaxon and I had spent hours there and were now on our way back home. Streetlights and headlights reflected in the puddles on the road as we drove back to his place.

  Rain had been falling while we’d packed and continued in a steady rhythm. Inside the house and car, the staccato beat offered a cocooning effect. It was cleansing after the emotions of boxing up the living room, my bedroom, and part of the kitchen that wouldn’t need to be used before my parents officially moved.

  We’d made a lot of progress, and with another few hours of packing the next day, we would have the majority boxed and labeled, ready for the moving truck to come and haul it to their new home.

  I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to fall asleep in Jax’s arms. He pulled into his spot in the building’s parking lot. We both got out and were greeted with the excited yaps from Mrs. Malone’s chihuahua. At the end of the isle, she bent at the back of a Mercedes, frantically trying to get him to come to her. I wanted nothing more than to go up to our place and pass out, but one look at the worry and frustration on the older woman’s face tugged at my heart. “Maybe you should go help?”