Justify

by Kristin Harte

  Except he had a business to run in Justice. Except the responsibility of being a Kennard didn’t end when shit got tough. Except he couldn’t abandon the town.

  Neither could I.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “My cabin in the valley.” I caught the surprise flash across his face as he turned my way. “No one knows about it but Bishop and you guys, so I think it’ll be safer.”

  “I figured you’d be going farther. Leave Justice behind.”

  “I won’t abandon my brothers,” I said, making sure every word came with weight attached. With meaning. “We live together, work together, and fight together. But I need people here to think Katie’s gone. I need them to believe she isn’t anywhere near Justice so I have time to figure out a plan.”

  Alder grunted before turning away from the windows altogether. “What’s your strategy?”

  “I take Katie to my cabin and hide out for a few days. You spread the word that we’re down in Colorado Springs to see a doctor.”

  “I can do that. Old Vol’s wife will spread that gossip far and wide if I get it to her.”

  That took me by surprise. “Vol’s wife is a gossip?”

  “Vol’s wife is the gossip. She means well, but she loves to be the one person in the room with information. Likes the attention, I think. I’ll make sure she knows you two are gone, and she’ll tell every man and woman she sees.” His brow dropped down over his blue stare. “Are you thinking someone’s selling us out to the Soul Suckers?”

  “No, not directly.”

  “But words travel.”

  “Exactly. And fake ones go as far as real ones.”

  “I’ll make sure they do. You take care of that girl. I let her come back, gave her this building so she could get started. I feel real fucking responsible that she’s now a target for all this.”

  “This isn’t on you. I don’t see it that way, and I’m sure Katie doesn’t either.” I reached out, bumping his fist with mine. “I’m going to change my clothes and wash up in the restroom, then we’re headed out. I want her tucked away before the sun goes down tonight. Text me if you need anything. And tell Bishop not to go back to his house. He should stay at Anabeth’s for a few days.”

  “Something we need to know?”

  “Katie talked to a few people today and mentioned staying at Bishop’s with me. I don’t want anything meant for us to head his way.”

  Alder nodded. “Good call. I’ll call him and make sure they’re somewhere else.”

  I was halfway to the kitchen when his rough voice called me back. “Gage.”

  “Yeah, boss?”

  This time, he didn’t mince words. Didn’t break eye contact either. His gaze held mine, heavy and fierce. Protective. “Watch your back up there.”

  I could only nod, knowing there was nothing to say. I’d be watching my back for sure. And Katie’s. I had to.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gage

  My stomach churned and my throat felt tight as I pulled up to my cabin that night. Not Bishop’s place, not Katie’s. Mine. The one I wanted to share with her. The one I planned to finish building and get right for her. It wasn’t right yet. There was no kitchen, no paint, no furniture for the living areas. But there was a bed, and we’d brought things like towels and toiletries. I even had food from the restaurant in a cooler. It might not be perfect just yet, but it would do for a hideout.

  “Why are we staying here?” Katie asked as I parked the truck under a towering pine tree that would eventually shade my driveway. Our driveway. Shit, I was getting so far ahead of myself. One step at a time—set up trust, build a relationship, destroy the Soul Suckers, kill her uncle. I couldn’t just jump ahead.

  “I need a favor.”

  My phone vibrated against my leg, stealing my attention. I snatched it up, having been waiting on a message from Alder. The text message contained only four words—plan is in motion.

  Vol’s wife thought Katie and I were in Colorado Springs, and she’d start spreading that story to anyone who’d listen. Good.

  I tucked the phone away and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Sorry. I was expecting a text from Alder.”

  Her hazel eyes shone bright in the golden light of the sunset around us. “Everything all right?”

  “Everything will be.” Not quite yet, though, because I didn’t have her naked. Didn’t have her in my bed and underneath me. I knew we needed to talk, that I needed to figure out everything between her uncle and her, but being in the car with her for the past forty-five minutes—her curvy little body pressed up against mine as she sat in the middle seat—had knocked my brain for a loop. We could talk later—there were things for us to do first.

  “C’mon, Rex.” I opened my door, the dog slipping across the floorboard to hop down. Katie waited for me, then slid the rest of the way across the seat to exit on my side. I wanted to be a gentleman and help her down, but my thoughts were anything but gentlemanly. Like right then, with her hand resting in mine and her tits bouncing when she landed on the ground. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have her hands all over me, to hang on to those breasts with both hands as I rode her hard and deep. My lips practically ached to kiss her, but I wouldn’t stop at kissing her mouth. Hell no. I’d lick and suck on every part of her I could. I wanted to suckle her so bad, wanted her taste and smell all over me. Wanted to redden her skin with my beard before soothing it with my tongue. All of that hit me as her little body came to rest beside mine, so close I could practically feel her body heat against mine. The animal inside of me wanted to pick her up, press her back against the truck, and fuck her right there in the driveway. But I would be a fucking gentleman, at least on the outside.

  “What sort of favor do you need?” Katie looked up at me, so trusting. So perfect. All those dirty thoughts turned warmer, sweeter, just like her. I wanted to pump her full of my cock and simply hold her on the couch. Wanted to smack her ass and watch it jiggle as I pounded into her from behind and sit with her in my lap as she told me about her day. Being away from her that afternoon had been torture, and I’d done everything I could to get back to her as soon as possible. Not soon enough, though, because her hands hurt her. She’d done too much. Maybe I shouldn’t ask her for more.

  “How are your hands?”

  She shrugged, letting me lead her to the front door. “Fine. The painkillers worked. Gage, what favor do you need?”

  I held the door open for Katie and Rex, keeping an eye on her as she took in the construction site that was hopefully our future home. Wondering if she liked the vaulted ceiling and the openness of the space. The smoky, beetle kill pine floors I’d picked out with the warm tone that would look amazing against her bare skin. No walls blocked the views of the living area—I hadn’t wanted anything standing between me and the reason I’d bought the place. The view.

  I’d ripped out the back wall and replaced it with almost all glass, giving anyone inside the house a perfect view of the mountains and forest out back. The view beyond the kitchen—Mother Nature’s stunning artistry—painted the most beautiful backdrop.

  Not as beautiful as Katie when she saw it, though. Her mouth fell open, and she stepped forward, almost seeming to be pulled by the vista beyond the glass. “This is…”

  She didn’t have to finish her statement for me to know what she meant. “Yeah. It is. That view of the far side of Widow’s Ridge is why I bought this place.”

  “I wondered. I mean…you mentioned that you had a cabin you were remodeling, but this is a little farther from town than I would have expected. I couldn’t figure out why you wanted to be this far out.”

  “Do you understand now?”

  She nodded, the movement slow and reverent. “The view is worth the extra time to get here.”

  Exactly. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pulling her against my chest. Staring more at her reflection than the world outside. “I’m glad you think so, because I love this place. I
love having you here, too.”

  Her smile appeared unbidden, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. “No kitchen, though. You brought a chef home with you, and you have no kitchen. I’m surprised.”

  I loved when she got that teasing tone in her voice. “The kitchen’s next on the list. You can help me plan out what to do with the space. I think I have the base cabinets’ plan pretty well set, but I have to finish plotting out where all the wall cabinets go. Then I can get them all ordered.”

  She hummed, melting into my hold. “I wouldn’t bother with wall cabinets at all.”

  “No?”

  “No. I’d put shelves on that wall”—she pointed to the side where I’d planned to create a big bank of cabinets almost like a pantry—“with cabinets under them, but the rest? One big island. It’s not a perfect working triangle, but I wouldn’t want to block a single angle of this view. Taking a few extra steps here and there would be worth it.”

  Done. “I’ll make sure that happens.”

  She turned in my arms, smiling up at me. Looking almost patronizing. “Your house, your kitchen. You do what you want.”

  What I wanted was to make a home with her here, but I doubted she was ready for that declaration yet, so I held back. Just like I did when I saw a little flash of pink against her lips. Her tongue—fuck, what I wanted her to do with that. But not yet.

  “So,” she said, drawing the word out. “What’s this favor you need from me?”

  I ran a hand over my beard and into my hair. “I need a trim.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you said I needed one.”

  “I…I didn’t mean—”

  I kissed her. How could I not? She seemed so flustered at the idea that I’d paid attention to what she’d said. As if I’d ever ignore her words. Every syllable meant something, even when she got nervous and spat a thousand of them at me in under a minute. Of course I took them to heart.

  When I finally pulled my mouth from hers, I cupped her face and kept her close. “There’s no one in town to do it, and I probably won’t make it to Rock Falls for a while. You want me to trim my hair and beard? Done—I’ll do anything to make you happy, and if one of those things means you might find me more attractive? That’s a no-brainer. Finding a place to actually get it done…that’s not as easy.”

  “I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. My silly girl.

  “Katie, this?” I tugged on my beard. “This is nothing. If you’d be more comfortable with me not having it—”

  “No.” She blushed darker, licking her lips again. “Don’t…shave it off. I like the beard.”

  I knew women had a thing for beards. “Just not this much.”

  “Just not that much.”

  “So help me fix it. I want to look attractive for you.”

  “Not for me.”

  “Nobody else matters.” I told Rex to stay, ignoring the irritated huff he gave me at being relegated to his living room bed, and dragged Katie behind me to the master bedroom. Most of the work in there was done—it just needed painting and a few small hardware pieces added to the en suite bath. I’d moved a few boxes over already, figuring I should have some stuff for the nights I worked on the construction too late to head back to Bishop’s. My forethought would come in handy. After shutting the door to make sure Rex didn’t chase after us, I dug through a box in the closet until I found what I was looking for.

  “You own clippers?” Katie asked, eyes on the Wahl case in my hand.

  “Of course. Just because I don’t trim my beard often doesn’t mean I’m not prepared to.”

  I smacked her ass as I walked past her, loving the way it jiggled. Loving the way she squeaked and blushed even more. This might be fun. I grabbed the small step stool that had been hidden in the corner since I’d installed the shower head and set that up in the middle of the bathroom. I could look in the mirror from that spot, but Katie could still move all around me. Perfect. Once I had the basics ready, I grabbed a towel from under the sink and settled in.

  “Ready.”

  She looked at the clippers, frowning. “You’re really okay with me doing this?”

  “Yup.”

  “I might screw it up.”

  “I went ten years with a buzz cut for the military. I can always go back to that if I need to.”

  She hummed, staring down at me. Good goddamn, did she look amazing in my bathroom. She stood behind me, so I only got her reflection in the mirrors, but she fit. With me, in this space, the one I’d built. She fit.

  Katie started slow, using the hand scissors to cut the longer pieces before grabbing the clippers for the sides. She took her time, staring down at me. Frowning and concentrating. Silent, too. Focused, like when she cooked, just not mumbling to herself. I didn’t even know if she realized she did that—talked to herself when she got really into the job at hand. It had taken me a couple of days to figure it out, to understand the words she said when she was in that zone. Directions. Instructions. Likely the lessons pounded into her head through cooking school. She whispered them as she worked. She didn’t whisper as she trimmed my hair.

  She did seem thoughtful, though. “So, if you’re willing to trim it, why do you let it get so long in the first place?”

  “It seemed to fit the place.” I caught her eyes in the mirror. “I’m from a suburb outside of Detroit—lots of businessmen in suits or slacks and collared shirts, you know? But I’d head south of the city to where a lot of the factory workers lived, and there’d be these men with big beards and wild hair who hunted and fished and seemed to make a lot of trouble. I spent ten years in the SEALs following the rules and wearing the old high and tight haircut—when I got out, I wanted to live more like those wild men in Detroit.”

  “So you moved to Justice and wanted to make trouble?”

  “Definitely. But only the good kind.” Her grin warmed me right in the chest. Fuck, I was gone over this girl.

  “Have you been making a lot of trouble since you’ve been here?” Katie asked, suddenly sounding a little more nervous than I’d like. I had no clue why, though.

  “Depends on what you mean by trouble. What are you asking, princess?”

  Her face flushed a little. “Nothing really. I just…I don’t know what you do usually. When you’re not stuck babysitting me.”

  Oh hell no. I tugged her closer, pulling her between my legs and making sure I was in her face. “This isn’t babysitting, Katie. It’s me making sure you’re safe. I would have done that for anyone in town, but I’m real fucking happy it’s you because I’ve wanted to get you alone for a long time. As for what I usually do—I work. I fix this place up. I train Rex. And if there was a spare minute in the past few months, I tried to figure out how to spend time with you without making you nervous. That’s it.”

  She ran her hand over my cheek. “Seems lonely.”

  Fuck yeah, it had been at times. “Bishop and Rex kept me entertained. What about you? Other than the restaurant, I don’t know what you do.”

  “The restaurant is all I do. It’s been my true focus since I moved home.”

  “No friends? Family in the area?” That sounded rehearsed, which hadn’t been my intention. I needed to know to formulate a plan, but I didn’t want to pump her for information. There was a line between the two that I needed to find—and soon.

  Katie simply shrugged. “I hang out with Shye at work—she’s nice. Mercy Bell and I have run into each other a few times in the hallway, but we’re not really close or anything. The rest of the people in town—they’re all friendly, but they still see me as little Katie, poor, practically orphaned daughter of Mac. Did you know my dad died logging for the Kennards?”

  “I’d heard something about that.”

  “Yeah, so…I love them all, but they’ll never not think of him when they see me. It’s a big shadow to live under.”

  She didn’t mention her uncle, and I didn’t push. Not yet.


  “Seems lonely.”

  She gave me a quick smile. “Not so much anymore.”

  I loved that answer, so I let her go. Let her get back to the business of cutting my hair and beard so she could finish. I watched her instead of myself, keeping my eyes locked on the way her body moved around me. How she didn’t take her eyes off me as she worked. So when she stepped back after shaving down my neck, I was sort of surprised by what I saw in the mirror.

  She’d left everything longer than I would have expected.

  “Is it okay?” she asked, looking so damn nervous. I couldn’t have that. I pulled her between my legs and dragged her down until I could steal a kiss from those soft, pink lips of hers. Licked my way inside and tasted her deeply, groaning when she fisted my hair and tugged me closer.

  “Is it okay for you?” I asked when I finally let her go.

  She nodded, running her fingers through the long waves on top of my head. The sides she’d trimmed down short, not military tight but way neater than I normally wore them. The top stayed long, and my beard was still full and thick. Just…not so bushy. I didn’t know how she did it. Or why.

  “I figured you’d have gone shorter.”

  She smiled, her fingers moving from my hair down the side of my face. “I like you a little wild.”

  Then I’d always be wild for her. I leaned into her touch, practically fucking purring as she stroked me. Wanting so much more of her touch. Too hungry for it to hold off any longer. To hold back.

  I grabbed her hips and yanked her closer, rubbing my face against her chest. Teasing her nipples through her shirt. “Do you have any idea how much I think about your tits?”

  Her laugh rumbled through her chest. “None whatsoever, though I’m not surprised. Men have been obsessed with them since they came in when I was in middle school.”

  I growled as I looked up at her, holding her gaze while I bit down on her nipple through her shirt. Breathing hard against her to tease her with a little heat. “I would have beat their asses if I’d been here.”