NIX (Daring the Kane Brothers)
Page 15
“You knew you were going to break my heart?”
“No.” I grab his shirt and pull him to me. “I knew I was going to fall in love with you, but I had every intention not to do that and never to see you again. You were my best friend’s man. She trusted me to help you. But then we went to your house, and I saw that picture of Becca. Nothing made sense, why she never told me about her daughter. So, of course, I had to meet her, which meant I knew I’d see you again. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, sorry that I lied to you, sorry I pretended to be her so I could kiss you, so I could get close to you. I wouldn’t blame you if you never forgive me, but I wish you could find it in your heart to.”
“You know what I think?”
“What?”
“The only two good things that came from meeting Natalie, ah, Natalie …”
“Watkins,” I finish for him as I sniffle back more tears.
“Right, that’s some shit. We didn’t even know her real name, neither of us. I’m not sure what I’m going to tell my daughter. What do I say, your mother was a white hat hacker sent to take your father down, and if it hadn’t been for your birth, your dad would be in jail?” He takes a deep breath. “When you really think about it, who saved who here?”
“Becca saved us all. She saved Natalie. She gave her another meaning in life besides her dedication to the government. She saved you, opened your eyes to life and not just the one in a computer. She saved me. I got to have a part of my friend again. And hey, she even saved Max.” We laugh as Max’s ears perk up, hearing his name.
“As I was saying …” He smiles. “The only two good things that came from me meeting Natalie Watkins was my child.” He palms my face. “And you.” He leans in and lands one small, powerful kiss upon my lips. “I’ll forgive you on one condition.”
“Anything.” I hold my breath as a single joyful tear slithers down my cheek and melts into his hand.
He swipes the tear away with a gentle stroke of his finger. “My laptop. I want it back.”
“Just like me, it’s yours.”
“I’ll take both.” He leans down and gives me a longer, more thoroughly emotional-telling kiss. “Oh.” He pulls back from me. “I do have a question.”
“Yes?” I wipe another happy tear from my face.
“When we went to the SPCA and came back to my place, who did I chase out of my house that night?”
“I figured you were starting to figure things out. So, I had Scarface, I mean, my boss hire someone to be here to throw you off.”
“Scarface?” His eyebrows cave in. “Fishhook-shaped scar right here?” He touches his cheek.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Dwayne Abel?”
I shake my head. “I knew him as Robert White, but I called him boss or Scarface.” I laugh. “Ya know what? He must’ve been Natalie’s boss or something. He’s the one who gave me the letter from her.”
“Yeah.” Nix nods as if he’s finally connecting all the dots. “He was my contact for the government too. He told me he saw Lexi when she got her diagnosis, said he offered her to return to me and Becca. What a fucker.”
“I agree. He’s an asshole. One we’re both free of now.”
“Yeah.” His head tilts. “Was my freedom Lex—Natalie’s condition?”
“Yes, it was from the very start. She wanted you to be there for Becca.” I take his hands into mine and gaze down at them. “And I confirmed it when I agreed to finish what she started by getting the Phelps file.” I look up into his glossy emerald eyes. “And thank you for saving me. You didn’t have to do it. There was so much at stake for you as it was, but now that you have.” I grin. “Now that I’m free and I don’t have to return to New York, I can take you to Boston to meet my parents and let me tell you, just like me, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker are going to love you and Becca.”
“Oh-ho, so now you’re predicting the love your parents are going to have for me and my kid?”
“Yes, but they’re not getting any warning like I gave you, but I fear there is going to be some explaining to do when they take one look at your daughter. She looks just like her mom.”
“Don’t I know it!” He laughs. “But we’ll deal with that after you meet my parents, along with, let’s see, you already met Token and Crash, so that just leaves Steele, Stone, and Lulu, and I can guarantee they’re gonna love you as much as I do.”
“So you love me now?” Fireworks explode in my heart on the inside as I try to remain cool and calm on the outside.
“Yeah.” He pulls me to him and lowers his mouth to mine …
EPILOGUE
“… and here comes your mom, potholders on with a spatula in her hand. She’s going to get the spider that’s taken our bathtub hostage.” I hear Payton and Becca laughing as I watch from the hallway. “Like a chicken, I’m standing in the doorway as your mom moves closer to the tub. She lifts her hand, and WHACK! She smacks that fat spider, and you know what happened?”
“What?” Eyes wide and enthralled, Becca stares at the love of my life, waiting for an answer.
“Thousands of baby spiders start running everywhere!” Payton tickles her.
“Oh, no!” Becca giggles with that wonderful, innocent, happy sound that I’ve been hearing a lot more now with Payton around.
“Your mom screams and throws the spatula. She practically knocks me over, scrambling to get out of the bathroom.” Payton wipes tears from her laughter. “Oh, it was so funny. The look on her face.” She laughs again.
Becca breaks from a giggle. “What did you guys do then?”
“What do you think we did?” Payton sobers, smiling down at my daughter. “We got a hotel room until the bug people told us the apartment was all clear.”
Becca waves her tiny hand. “You guys are just like Daddy. He hates spiders.” She leans in, and whispers, “He always calls me whenever he sees one. I try to save it, catch it with a cup, and put it back outside.”
“Ah, that’s a good idea, but have you ever been to New York?” Becca shakes her little braided head. “Well, it can get real cold there, like inside your freezer cold, and no spider could survive that.”
“Maybe, someday you can take me there and show me where you and Mom lived? Take me to that coffee shop you guys liked.”
“Yeah.” Payton lovingly touches my daughter’s head. “Someday we will do that.” She leans down and kisses her on the cheek. “Good night.”
“Night.” Becca pulls Mr. Paddington closer to her as she rolls over in the bed.
Payton’s eyes connect with mine, and she smiles as she flicks off the light. I follow her down the hall, and the second we reach my bedroom, I grab her, spin her around into my arms, and kiss her. When our mouths take a brief pause, I tilt my head back. “I love you, ya know.”
Her head slants. “Yeah, I tried to warn you that might happen.” She pats me on the chest. “Thanks for letting me tell Becca about her mom.”
“She needed to know the truth, and I’m glad you’re here to share it with her. I’m trying to forgive her, but I’m not ready to tell spider stories or anything. And just so we’re clear, I’m not afraid of spiders.”
“No?”
“No. I make her get them because I don’t want her to be afraid of them.”
“Really?” She grins. “And what’s wrong with being afraid of spiders?”
“Nothing.” I laugh. “Okay, I don’t like them.”
“That’s what I thought.” Her nose scrunches.
“Oh, look what I bought today.” I pull the object from my pocket and wave it in the air.
“Zip ties?” Payton’s eyebrow lifts.
“Yes.” I walk over to my office chair, push it out to the middle of the bedroom, and give it a couple of taps. “Have a seat.”
Her blue eyes flare with those flecks I spotted the first day I met her in Crash’s shop. There’s no guessing anymore; she wants to fuck me. “Shit!” My cell starts ringing in my pocket, and her eyebrow rises higher. Sh
e smirks at me. “Hold up, one sec!” I swipe the screen and lift a finger. “Hey Crash, what’s up?”
“Oh, thank God you answered. I need you to run over to my place,” Crash says as if out of breath.
“What? Now? Why?” My lifted finger slowly falls from the air.
“I’m out of town visiting Maggie’s sister. Jaggs called earlier, asking if she could crash at my place because a water line, gas line, some shit burst at her apartment. I was just telling Maggie about it, and she reminded me that Stone is supposed to come in tonight. I told him he could stay at my place too—”
“Shit!”
“Yeah, shit! Jaggs hates Stone. Don’t know why but she does. I tried calling her, but she’s not answering her cell. Could you run over there and give her the heads-up that he might be coming, or if he’s already there, put out any fires? Please? I’ll owe you big time, bro.”
“Sure, I’ll head over there now.” I swipe off my cell and toss the zip ties on my desk. Having dirty, naughty sex with the love of my life is going to have to be put on hold for now. “Sweetheart, I need to run out real quick.”
“What?” She smiles. “Did you forget the mask?”
“I can wear a mask?” I walk over to her and give her a quick but promising kiss.
She grabs my chin. “Only if you wear nothing else.”
“That’s a deal!” I pull back and tap her on the nose. “Be naked when I get back.”
“I’ll be in nothing but zip ties …”
THE END
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Have you met the Declan Brothers yet?
Start where it all began in Bayou Vista, Texas
When Rayna, Emmie, and Lulu dare to break the Declan Brothers
BREAKING THE DECLAN BROTHERS
JAX (book #1)
"Some boys can get rough, some don't always listen when you tell them to stop, and some boys, they're just monsters. You gotta be careful who you play with..." ~ Jax Declan
SLATE (book #1)
"Some boys will keep it, some will break it, and some boys, they just won't want it. You gotta be careful who you give your heart to..." ~ Slate Declan
ZEKE (book #3)
"Some guys call, some date, and some guys, they might even get married. But, sweetheart, I ain't any of those guys..." ~ Zeke Declan
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TOKEN
STEELE
CRASH
BREAKING THE DECLAN BROTHERS
JAX
SLATE
ZEKE
A TROUBLEMAKER NOVEL
Broken Fences
Favorite Places
Finder Fees
Lucky Numbers
Lost Wishes
From Siren Publishing:
Fatal Promise
From Red Sage Publishing:
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The Risqué Target
Satisfying the Curse