She scanned the room quickly. That’s when she realized she wasn’t alone.
Porter sat in the light blue chair in the corner of the room. She heaved a long sigh. “Jesus H. Christ, don’t do that to me.” Rubbing her temple, she added, “For a moment there I thought I’d been goon-napped.”
“Now, why would you think that?” Porter’s voice was tense.
Kenzie waved him off. “Never mind.” She gave her head another good rub before she shifted against the pillows, getting a little more comfortable.
Porter sat in complete silence, studying her with a closed-off expression. She became bored with the staring contest, so she examined the room some more, now understanding that this had to be Porter’s bedroom. Tidy, masculine, and simple, the room reflected Porter perfectly. “Mind explaining this?” She shook her arm, rattling the handcuff against the steel headboard.
He didn’t reply.
The last thing she remembered was getting into the cab with him, and she guessed she fell asleep. Guilt and embarrassment flooded her at her behavior, warming her cheeks. God, she’d acted so foolishly last night. I barfed in a plant!
She regarded Porter, and the tight corners of his mouth indicated his obvious annoyance about last night. “Okay, I’m sorry. You were right to make me leave. Thank you for that. It wasn’t my finest moment.”
He snorted. “I would say not.”
She waited for him to get up and remove the handcuff, but he didn’t. So there they sat, stalemated. Minutes passed, and the silence was awkward and uncomfortable. “Is there something you want me to say?”
He didn’t respond.
Kenzie huffed. This Dom was seriously becoming a pain in her ass. A hot Dom with wicked touches, of course, but an irritating one nonetheless. The silence became daunting. “Listen, my bladder is about to explode. If you don’t want me to pee on your bed, you better unlock me.”
His frown deepened. “Not good enough.”
She gawked at him, though within his hard reply she recognized what he wanted. The fact that her bladder hurt in a bad way had her easily saying, “Porter, I need you to help me. Please unlock these.”
He rose and then approached the side of the bed. “There, you just asked for help. See how easy that was? Next time it won’t be so hard for you.” Sitting down next to her, he unlocked the handcuff from her wrist, leaving it dangling on the headboard. “The bathroom is there.” He pointed to the closed door by the closet.
Kenzie jumped out of bed, cursing her throbbing head with every step she took. She made it to the bathroom in two-point-two seconds and was out not long after. When she reentered the bedroom, she found that Porter had removed the handcuff from the bed. She couldn’t help but wonder what other paraphernalia he had. But sex, vanilla or otherwise, was completely out of the question right now.
Porter patted the bed, and once Kenzie joined him, sitting cross-legged with her back against the pillows, he grasped her wrist. He massaged it and said, “Tell me what is going on with you.”
She noted his soft expression, seeing only concern there. Fuck, even she knew last night she had crumbled to pieces, and he knew it, too. But with Porter, there was something warm that she could easily trust. “I’m a hot mess.”
“That is clearly apparent.” He used soft massaging pressure on her wrist, stroking her arm where the handcuff had been. “I have no idea why you are keeping everyone out, when I know for a fact you have many friends you could talk to. I don’t understand why you feel that you can’t share what you’re going through, but I’m telling you this now: You are not leaving this bed until you talk to me.”
The hardness in his features indicated he was dead serious, and she also suspected that he would handcuff her back to the bed if she stayed silent. Perhaps because of behaving like she did last night and that he’d been so concerned, she found herself unable to stay quiet any longer. This was all destroying her, she knew that. And she knew she needed help; this was all much more than she could handle on her own.
Though this was a complicated thing, not only with Adrik, but the mess inside of her, and it all went far deeper than she was willing to admit. She was terrified to go home, and she’d have to tonight. The ant excuse could hold up for only so long. “I don’t know how to do this.”
One brow arched. “How to do what?”
“Ask for help,” she admitted.
He stared at her for a few long seconds and then sighed. “Being strong is good, kitten. I admire that about you. But it’s okay to depend on people, too.” He stopped massaging her wrist and took her hand in his, holding it against the bed. “The other day when I came into the store and found you on the floor, what happened?” His voice firmed, eyes probing hers. “The truth.”
“A man attacked me.” The words left her mouth and she reeled in surprise, for what she thought would be a difficult thing to say came out awfully easily.
Porter’s jaw clenched, the only sign that what she said bothered him. “What man?”
“I don’t know,” she replied with a small shrug. “A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lawyer who represented Adrik Petrov. They made an offer to buy my bookshop, because he wants to demolish the block and build a new casino. When I said no, they—”
“Threatened you?”
She nodded, annoyed by the tears welling in her eyes. “First letters came, and then phone calls. After that, Adrik came by, and from what I’ve learned of him, he’s a shady guy. But then one of his men came.” Her voice hitched. “And…”
“Hurt you.” Porter’s eyes flared with ire. “What did he do to you?”
“Made the point clear enough that he could strangle me if he wanted to.” She didn’t need to say more than that.
Porter pushed off the bed and began pacing back and forth. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing that he’d come back and hold her. The second the thought crossed her mind, he turned to her, then came and did exactly that. His warmth surrounded her and she leaned in to him. “Why would you not tell anyone this?” he asked.
“With Kyler and Ella’s wedding…” She wiped an annoying tear off her face, glad Porter didn’t see it. “I didn’t want to make it about me.”
He leaned away from her and frowned. “Fuck, Kenzie, this is not something you keep to yourself. Is there anything else going on?”
Of course there was more going on inside her. Her emotional pain was still there, still bleeding, but as much as she felt that she could trust Porter with it all, a little part of her was terrified to let him inside. She’d been strong for so long, because she had to be. She didn’t know the woman she was without that strength. “That’s all.”
His eyes narrowed, indicating he wasn’t sure if he should believe her or not, but he said, “Let me help you with this all and see exactly what we are up against. Would you mind if I called my other PI, Chloe, to get involved?”
Kenzie knew she didn’t have a choice. She needed to be safe, and she wasn’t. She also didn’t want to sell her store. Porter could help, and his powerful stare told her he would do all he could for her. “Yes, that’s okay.”
“Good.” He hesitated, brushing his thumb over her hand. “It’s foolish of us not to bring the police into this.” As her lips parted, he pressed a finger against her mouth. “Let’s call Sawyer over and get his opinion. We don’t have to do anything right now or make rash decisions. We need to talk and see what is in the best interest for you.”
The last thing Kenzie wanted was to put herself in more danger than she was already ass-deep in. She figured getting the police involved would only piss off Adrik more. Besides, even if he was arrested, she also suspected he had many other people working for him. She didn’t want to meet any of them. “Sawyer is fine, too.”
“All right.” He reached into his pocket, drawing out his cell phone, then stopped. “I’m glad you told me about this, kitten.” He cupped her jaw and she sensed herself leaning in to it without thought. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you; pl
ease tell me you know this.”
She could see the truth behind his words in the warmth of his eyes. “Yes, I know.”
—
Porter couldn’t sit still while they waited for Sawyer and Chloe to come over. By the time Sawyer arrived, Porter’s tension was rippling through him. Of all things he thought was going on with Kenzie, what she told him definitely wasn’t what he’d imagined. The thought of a man wrapping his hands around her throat not only sent him into a pure possessive state, but he wanted to find that man and do the same to him. All the same he knew he needed to be smart about this. With Kenzie’s store at risk, something that clearly meant the world to her, considering that even after being threatened she wouldn’t sell it, and her safety, Porter wasn’t taking any chances.
As he realized that, it also showed him how little he knew about her. Fuck, he didn’t even know why she owned a bookshop. More and more, frustration edged out anger at this wall between them. He took a deep breath, calming ire in his veins. Even if he asked those personal questions, he knew well enough she’d shut down. She had a past, one he was beginning to think was very haunted, and while he believed she was keeping something else from him, it only made him even more determined to find out all her secrets.
Right now he knew he needed to stay focused on keeping her from harm. The rest he could deal with later.
“I’ve heard of Adrik Petrov,” said Chloe, as she sat on the couch in his living room. She had been on her way to the gym when Porter called, dressed in yoga clothes, with her long chocolate-brown hair tied up in a ponytail for her workout. “He was in the news a while ago, something about fraud.”
“He makes the big bad wolf look like a cute little pup,” Kenzie said.
She had taken a shower after Porter had made the calls to his friends; her hair was still damp, and she wore one of Porter’s T-shirts that was more like a short dress on her. He’d given her a blanket and tucked her onto the chair by the bay window, then made her coffee and gave her a couple painkillers. They seemed to be kicking in. She hadn’t said much since he made the calls, until now.
Porter moved to her, kissed the top of her forehead, then sat on the armrest, placing his hand on her leg on top of the blanket. “Everyone has a secret they don’t want told, and this is what we need to find out. We must get leverage over him so that he will leave you and your store alone.”
Kenzie tipped her head, leaning it against the back of the chair. “Will it be that easy? He’s evaded the legal system. I would imagine he buries his secrets, if you know what I mean.”
Porter despised that Kenzie was put into that type of danger. Christ, this had been going on long enough. He stopped himself from imagining what that scene looked like when the man had wrapped his hands around her neck, and focused on what he could do to help her.
Sawyer sipped his coffee, then placed the mug on the table in front of him and said to Kenzie, “We can arrest him. Your statement is proof enough for that.”
“Yes, and then what?” Kenzie retorted. “I have no idea who the other guy who came to my store is. What if he comes back? What if someone else comes in his place?”
“That will never happen,” Porter growled.
Chloe raised her head from the laptop resting on her knees and lifted her brows. Porter silently cursed, attempting to shake off the rage from his body. Of course, Chloe would be surprised by his protectiveness over Kenzie. She knew he didn’t have a girlfriend. He and Chloe were close, tighter than anyone Porter had ever worked with before. She was only twenty-five, but they had a lot in common, even if Chloe never knew of Club Sin or his sexual interests. Those conversations weren’t appropriate with employees, no matter how close they were.
He rubbed his hands over his face and said to Chloe, “Research him. Learn everything and anything you can. There will be something there we can use. We just have to find it.”
“Of course,” Chloe replied.
Sawyer said to Porter, “You have a bit more leeway than I do.” He leaned back against the chair he sat in, and his shoulders were high and tight. “But whatever I find—as in his criminal record—I’ll send your way.”
“Thank you.” Porter was glad Sawyer was a cop and could get that information. He also hoped Kenzie took note of Sawyer’s worry, and noticed how much others cared for her. It frustrated him that Kenzie had kept this a secret, as it told him how little faith she had in those around her.
Sawyer turned to Kenzie. “The man that attacked you, what did he look like?”
“Why does it matter?” she asked.
Porter understood perfectly. “We need to identify him, so we can investigate him, too.”
Chloe interjected, “It’ll be easy enough to search pictures of Adrik and see if this asshole is with him—perhaps he’s also been mentioned in the newspapers.” She added to Sawyer, “If I send you a name, will you put it through your system?”
Porter hesitated, staring at Chloe’s cheeks, noticing an odd blush there, especially considering the subject matter. He glanced sideways at Sawyer, noticing the small smile on his face. Porter snorted to himself, as they apparently were silently flirting with each other. It would never happen, even if he’d be happy seeing them together. Sawyer was good guy. Chloe was sweet. A perfect match, really.
Though Sawyer had some obstacles, Chloe was not a submissive, not one iota, and Porter wasn’t sure she was even kinky. She’d always seemed too proper, from what he’d observed. However, the biggest thing standing in Sawyer’s way was Chloe’s longtime boyfriend.
“Of course. Whatever I can do to help,” Sawyer replied, then added to Kenzie, “Do you want me to send you police protection to your house and store? It would take some explaining, but I’m sure I could swing it.”
Before Kenzie could answer, Porter interjected, “I’ll handle that.”
Her eyes widened with surprise but she stayed quiet. Of course she wouldn’t object now; she was scared and knew she wasn’t safe. He said to Chloe, “Make this your priority, all right? Assign our current cases to the other PIs in the office.”
Chloe closed her laptop. “Done and done.” She stood, glimpsing at Sawyer, and her cheeks colored in a deeper blush before she said to Kenzie, “Porter will keep you safe, and I’m the best clue finder there is; we’ll get something on this guy to get him out of your hair. Promise.”
“Thank you.” Kenzie smiled.
Sawyer rose and approached, squatting in front of Kenzie and taking her hand. “Next time, don’t wait so long to come forward with anything like this. I would hope that you would know you never have to face anything like this alone.”
Of course, he left out that the Club Sin Masters took the safety of their submissives seriously, in and out of the dungeon, and Porter understood Sawyer’s intention, but Kenzie simply replied, “It was complicated.”
Sawyer shook his head and frowned. “When it comes to your safety, it’s very uncomplicated. You’re either safe or you’re not. And when you’re not, you ask for help.”
Kenzie gave Sawyer a sweet smile. “Well, I’m not hoping for a next time, so I think we’re good. Thank you for helping me.”
Sawyer gave a final squeeze of her hand and rose, saying to Porter, “I’ll be in touch soon.” Then he followed Chloe out the front door.
Porter noted the hard expression that Sawyer gave him as he left. Concern, yes, that was there, but there was also annoyance set in his features. Irritation that came often from any Doms who dealt with Kenzie. She put herself at risk because she didn’t trust those around her. Porter understood why that frustrated some, but he was learning that perhaps he had more patience with Kenzie.
He dropped down onto the armrest next to her and sighed. “From here on out, you can’t disagree with me on your safety. No arguments, all right?”
“Okay.”
His brows rose. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Her voice became quiet and small. “You’re good at what you do. I’m just a bookshop owner. Whateve
r you think is best, I’ll do that.” She hesitated, obviously considering, then added, “You seem hopeful, and I haven’t been hopeful about much in a long time. So I’m going with that—hopeful is better than a wicked hangover any day.”
Porter had to admit her answer surprised him. Yes, he expected her to be more willing than normal since she was in danger, but for her to agree that easily stunned him. He gathered her in his arms and held her tight. “That’s another thing”—she sank into his hold—“no more drinking until this is over. Not even a glass of wine.”
She snorted. “Now you’re just being mean.”
Inhaling her spicy scent and holding her tight in his arms, he rested his mouth by her ear. “You scared me last night, kitten. Don’t ever do that again.”
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Kenzie exhaled a long breath as Porter pulled his car into the parking lot at the back of her store, sliding into the space beside her car. Relief filled her that her bookshop was still standing and that Adrik hadn’t done anything drastic yet. She grabbed her purse from the car’s floor and exited, passing by the garbage Dumpster on the way to the door.
No matter the hell she currently lived in, she felt better than she had in days. Last night she had slept, and slept well, even though Porter had given up his bed and stayed in the spare bedroom. But just knowing he was there in the house brought comfort. She also figured Porter had access to a gun—after all, he was a PI—and was insanely confident that he could protect her.
Once Porter joined her at the back of his muscle car—which he happened to look incredibly sexy driving—he opened his trunk. She spotted not only a laptop bag, but an overnight bag that she hadn’t noticed before they’d left. “What is that for?” she asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? We’re becoming roommates until this shit is over.” He grabbed his bags and then shut the trunk. “I’m guessing you’ll be more comfortable at your place than mine.”
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