by Sandra Owens
“Oh, sweetie,” Madison said. “Look what he did to you.”
Her brothers exchanged glances, and she guessed they were plotting Sebastian’s demise.
Taylor brushed Kinsey’s hair back. “Is there anything you need or want us to get you?”
She picked up the pen and notepad the nurse had left her and wrote one word.
Sebastian?
“Handcuffed to a bed on a different floor with one of my agents standing guard,” Nate said.
Alex leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. “Isn’t a kiss supposed to make a boo-boo better?” He grinned when she nodded.
“Just so you know, the next time some man is bothering you, we won’t be standing aside,” Court said.
Good she wrote.
Taylor sat on the edge of the mattress. “Lauren stayed home with the kids, but she sends her love.”
She wrote some more. Thank you. It means so much to me that you all are here, but you don’t have to stay. I’m okay. Really.
Not really, but it was late and she wouldn’t ask them to stay.
Nate put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder. “Here’s the plan. Court has some things to do tonight, so he’s heading home. Taylor and I are meeting with the police to arrange the arrest of Mr. Summer. Alex and Madison are going to stay with you tonight.”
Damn tears.
“Rand wants to see you, but that’s up to you.”
He’s here?
Alex snorted. “Pacing outside your door like a caged lion. But like Nate said, if you don’t want to see him, we’ll send him away.”
Want to thank him.
She didn’t even want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped Sebastian.
“Do you want us to stay when he comes in?” Court asked.
After thinking about it a moment, she shook her head. She needed to know if Rand had meant the things he’d said to her, and if so, who was the woman with him? It was a conversation she didn’t want her brothers butting their noses into.
Court squeezed her hand. “I’m heading out. Get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She waved her fingers at him, mouthing, Okay.
“Do you want Nate and me to run by your apartment and get you some clothes and toiletries?” Taylor asked.
Kinsey gave a vigorous nod to that. She pointed at Taylor. Thinking of Nate digging around in her underwear drawer made her cheeks heat.
Apparently reading her mind, Taylor laughed. “Trust me, he’d turn redder than you are right now if he had to pack your undies.”
“Truth,” Nate said, but she saw the amusement in his eyes. “I’ll leave your unmentionables in her capable hands.”
She seriously doubted anything would embarrass him, but he’d made her smile. It struck her as weird that she was smiling after what had happened, but it felt good. The nurse had left a plastic bag on the table next to the bed with her clothes and purse. She retrieved her clutch and fished out her house key, giving it to Taylor.
After she was left with Alex and Madison, Alex said, “We’ll be right outside while you talk to Rand.”
She gave him a thumbs-up. Knowing she was about to see Rand, her heart rate decided to misbehave by accelerating from zero to sixty in less than the time it took for him to walk in. God help her, just the sight of him had her ovaries begging to have his babies. And that right there was the problem. Or so she’d thought until seeing him with another woman. That had slayed her.
“Hey, Sunshine.” He pulled a chair next to the bed and sat.
The last thing she felt like right now was sunshine, but she forced a smile.
“Christ, Kinsey, I’m so sorry I didn’t get to him sooner. Before he hurt you.”
She picked up the notepad and pen.
Not your fault.
He read the note, but she could tell by the regret in his eyes that he still blamed himself, which was silly. The only person to blame was Sebastian. She pointed to the words she’d written. Not being able to talk was irritating.
His smile was sad. “If I hadn’t been so stupid, you would have been my date for the gala and this never would have happened.”
What was he saying? She tamped down on the hope trying to take hold in her heart.
Stupid?
“Yeah.” He glanced away, then returned his gaze to her. “I realized something tonight. Well, to give credit where it’s due, Deidre said some things that opened my eyes to what a big mistake I was making.”
Even her name was pretty. Kinsey had never known jealousy before, and it wasn’t a feeling she liked. She didn’t know where he was going with this, so she waited, but the hope that had tried to blossom died. Deidre was not only beautiful, she was from his world. He’d never said so, but it hadn’t been hard to figure out that he was rich, and he didn’t get that way from working for the FBI. He had to have come from money, and how was she supposed to compete with a woman who obviously had more in common with him than she did?
“Just so you know, my father set up the date with her without telling me until after the fact. She noticed that I couldn’t take my eyes off you tonight, and she asked who you were. Somehow it all came out, how much I wanted you. That you wanted children, and why I wouldn’t consider it. She told me I was being selfish, not only to myself but to you. And she was right.”
Kinsey decided she might like Deidre after all.
“I just hope that I didn’t figure all this out too late.”
Her heart soared, lifting off like a rocket bound for the stars. She covered her notepad so he couldn’t see what she was writing. When she finished, she handed it to him.
For you it’s never too late. I love you.
She watched for his reaction. He read the note, then lifted eyes to hers that were bright and happy.
“God, Kinsey. I love you like crazy.” He glanced around them, then pushed her pad and pen away and took her hand in his. “A hospital room isn’t how I would have wanted to tell you, but I’ll make it up to you. As soon as you’re better, we’ll have a romantic dinner at the best restaurant, and we’ll pretend I’m telling you for the first time.”
She pulled her hand away and grabbed the pen and paper.
A hamburger will work just as well.
Rand laughed, his heart filled with love for this woman. “We’ll do that, too. But only the best for my girl, whether it’s a hamburger or a fancy dinner.” He’d been afraid to hope that he still had a chance with her.
She wrote something again, then handed it to him.
You really are okay with having children?
“With you, yes. I’ll probably worry over everything, maybe even keep them isolated in a germ-free room.” He grinned when she widened her eyes. “Just kidding. I think. Seriously, I probably will be overprotective. One sneeze and we’ll be off to the doctor, but I have faith that you can talk me off the ledge.”
She wrote again.
Anytime you’re about to walk off the ledge, I’ll just take you to bed.
He was pretty sure his grin stretched from ear to ear. “That’ll work. But listen. Let’s not talk marriage and babies right now. You need to rest. After you’re well, we’ll take some time to just enjoy each other. I might have told you I love you in a hospital room, but the hell if I’m going to ask you to marry me in one.”
“Oh,” she rasped. Her eyes widened, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face. She tapped her finger against her lips, then puckered them.
“Are you asking for a kiss?” At her vigorous nod, he moved to the edge of the bed. “Whatever my lady wants,” he said in a bad British accent, smiling when she rolled her eyes.
They’d kissed before, but as their mouths connected, he knew this one would be different. New. He rested his hand on her neck and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. Their breaths mingled when their lips touched, and Jesus God, this woman. His sunshine. His salvation.
“Kinsey,” he breathed. The kiss was their promise of a new beginning, of a life
together. Passion sizzled between them as his tongue delved into her mouth, and when he heard her soft sigh, he reminded himself that they were in a hospital room, that she was hurt.
He reluctantly pulled away. “You need to get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
You don’t have to stay, she wrote.
“Yes, I do. I need to be here.” What if she had a nightmare? Or needed to talk about what had happened at three in the morning? “Now close your eyes, Sunshine.” He dimmed the lights, then settled in his chair. She was asleep before a minute passed, which didn’t surprise him. It had been a long night, and she had to be tired.
As he sat in the darkened room, watching her sleep, he marveled at how much his life had changed since the moment she’d walked into Aces & Eights. If he’d known she was the Gentrys’ sister, he wouldn’t have gone near her. Thank God he hadn’t. After he was sure she was sleeping soundly, he eased out of the room to tell Alex and Madison he was staying and they could go home.
Alex was on his phone, and from his expression, Rand could tell something was wrong. “You should have killed him,” were the first words out of his mouth after he disconnected.
“Summer?”
“What happened?” Madison asked.
“While Taylor was gathering a few things to bring Kinsey, Nate was looking around and noticed a reflection of the overhead light coming from an artificial tree in the corner of Kinsey’s bedroom.”
“A fucking camera?” Most people didn’t realize that a spy camera lens, even a small one, reflected light. And most people weren’t observant enough to notice they were being spied on.
“Yeah. So he and Taylor started searching for more. They’ve found three so far. The one in the bedroom, aimed at her bed, one in the bathroom, and one in the living room.”
Madison gasped. “My God.”
Rage blew through Rand’s bloodstream with the speed of an EF5 tornado. How long had they been there? He remembered the night she’d finally decided she’d left her back door cracked open. Had that been when he’d put them in her apartment? Had the bastard been watching her all this time?
“He’s a dead man,” he growled.
Anger shimmered in Alex’s eyes. “We can’t be sure yet it was him, but who else would it be? Court’s on his way to her place. He’ll be able to trace the cameras back to their source.”
“We both know it will go straight to Summer.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, and that just gives us more to charge him with. Before Court left for Kinsey’s, he was able to confirm what your dad already told you. He’s confident there’s more to be found, but with his attack on Kinsey and the spying on her, he’s going down. We’re also going to charge him with assault on a federal agent.” Alex narrowed his eyes. “You did identify yourself, right?”
Eff him. He could easily say he had. It would be his word against a man who preyed on women, so a justified lie? But he couldn’t look Alex in the eyes and lie to the man. “I told him I was FBI after I had him subdued.”
Alex put his hands over Madison’s ears. “Semantics, dude. Things happened so fast, it’s hard to remember the timeline. But you do remember that you left him no doubt you were a federal agent?”
“What he said,” Madison said, pushing her husband’s hands away.
“I absolutely remember leaving him in no doubt as to who I was when I was arresting him.” He got where Alex was coming from, and who was to say at what point he’d tried to put the man under arrest? If he had a hair’s breadth of doubt that Sebastian Summer was innocent, he would have no choice but to tell the truth. He wasn’t exactly lying; he was only fudging a little on the timeline. To make sure Kinsey was protected from ever having Sebastian Summer hurt her again, he would fudge his fucking life away with no regrets.
So that was what real love felt like.
14
The last thing Kinsey had seen when closing her eyes against the pain and the replay of the attack in her mind had been Rand’s face. And she thought knowing he was with her was the only reason she’d been able to sleep. He would keep her safe. The first thing she saw when waking up was Rand’s face. Well, not really his face because he was doing a face-plant on her thigh.
She eased her hand onto his head, hoping that she didn’t wake him. She needed a few minutes of quiet time to think about the things he’d said to her last night, but he shot up as if she’d banged cymbals next to his ears.
“Kinsey?” He blinked his eyes, then scrubbed a hand over his face.
“You need to shave.” She wanted to slap a hand over her mouth. Her brothers wore scruff better than any men she’d ever seen, but Rand was meant to be clean-shaven. That was his most beautiful look. Not this face that seemed as if he’d aged a thousand years in one night because of her.
Oh, and she could talk. That was awesome. She didn’t have to try to write her thoughts anymore.
He gave her a smile that curled her toes. “Good morning, Sunshine.”
“You’re still here,” she whispered back.
“Like I’d be anywhere else.”
“I want to go home.”
“The doctor will be here shortly. As soon as he releases you, I’ll spring you from this joint.” He tapped her nose with his finger. “Your voice still sounds a little scratchy, so try not to talk too much. Let it get some rest.”
She stuck her tongue out, grinning when he laughed. But her throat was still sore, so she did need to let it rest.
“Nate and Taylor dropped off some clothes and stuff for you.”
What she wanted the most right now was her toothbrush. She also wanted to know if Sebastian had been arrested yet, but that conversation would have to wait since the doctor walked into the room.
An hour later she was in Rand’s car, but he wasn’t headed in the direction of her apartment. “Where are we going?” The doctor had said she could talk, but that she should save her voice as much as possible for the next few days. Her head still hurt, but not as much as it had last night, thankfully.
“To the field office. Your brothers want to talk to you.”
Cool. She’d love to see where they worked. He reached across the console, picked up her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed her fingers. Instead of letting go, he lowered both their hands to his thigh, keeping his on top of hers.
How was it possible that everything with him seemed familiar, as if they were completely in tune, yet felt new? She turned her hand over, threading her fingers around his. He’d told her he loved her last night, but he hadn’t said it this morning. In fact, he appeared preoccupied, as if something was on his mind. Did he regret those words?
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?”
Her first reaction was to shrug off his question, but if they really were going to have a relationship, they needed to be honest with each other. “What you said last night, did you mean it?”
“That I love you?” She nodded. He squeezed her hand. “Yes, I meant every word. I wasn’t looking to fall in love, and I don’t know how it happened, but it did. Tell me you’re not having second thoughts.”
“No.” Not even. “I love you. I do. But you’ve just been really quiet today, so I wondered if you were the one having second thoughts.”
He glanced over at her and winked. “Not a one, Sunshine. There are some things you need to know, but we’ll talk about those when we sit down with your brothers.”
That sounded ominous.
Kinsey was disappointed in the FBI’s field office. She’d expected something like out of one of her favorite TV shows, NCIS. But there weren’t any fancy gadgets that she could see. It looked like a normal office with cubicles and desks.
“Hmph.”
“You say something?” Rand asked as he led her through the room.
“Just thinking out loud.”
He eyed her for a moment, then grinned. “You’re disappointed. You thought it would be something like out of a James Bond movie.”
; “Close.” And how did he do that, read her so well?
“Sorry, but nothing fancy here.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Hopefully this won’t take long, and then we can get you… ah, somewhere you can rest for the day.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “My own bed is where I can rest.” She also didn’t like when he didn’t respond, giving her the impression plans had been made for her that she wasn’t aware of. But a day to rest was definitely on her agenda. Maybe by tomorrow her headache would be gone and she could start worrying about finding a job since there was no way she could return to Summer Fashions.
The conference room was empty when they entered. After pulling out a chair for her along the middle of the table, he walked to a small refrigerator against the wall and returned with two bottles of water. Her scratchy throat welcomed the cold liquid. A minute later Taylor and her brothers came in.
“Dudes,” she said in greeting.
Next to her, Rand groaned. “Not you, too.”
She winked at Alex when he laughed. During the cookout at Nate’s, she’d noticed that dude was not one of Rand’s favorite words.
Alex came around to her side of the table, sitting next to her. Taylor, Nate, and Court sat across from her. All their gazes fell on her face as if scrutinizing her injuries. She managed not to squirm.
“You look a bit better than you did last night, little sister,” Alex said.
“I feel better.” She glanced at Taylor. “Thanks for getting me some clothes, and especially for sending my toothbrush along. My mouth felt like a cotton field this morning.”
“I wish the reason I had to didn’t exist, but you’re welcome.”
“So, what’s on your minds? I’d really like to go home and crawl into bed.”
Nate shook his head. “You’re not going back to that apartment. Ever.”
“Whoa! You don’t get to decide that.” Her mind was sluggish today or she would have realized that was what this little meeting was going to be about. “Just because you’re my oldest brother, which I guess makes you the head of the family, doesn’t mean—”