“Do you have vodka?” Kayla opens the freezer. “Found it. Who wants a martini?”
“I’m not drinking,” Ryan calls out. “Doctor’s orders.”
Emma jumps off his lap. “I am. I’ll get the maraschinos.” Before I know it, I’m being pushed out of the kitchen. “Let us make dinner for you guys.”
“Oh, sweet Jesus. No.” Ryan smiles sweetly when Emma glares at him. “I mean… Whatever you make will be awesome.” He even gives her a thumb’s up before he leans to me. “Be afraid. Be very afraid. Please tell me Kayla knows how to cook.”
“It can’t be that bad.” Up until we moved in together, I would have been just as worried to let Kayla loose in the kitchen. Now that we’ve cooked several homemade meals together, I have complete confidence she’ll whip up something amazing.
“You’d just better hope no meat is harmed in the process. Don’t even get me started on eggs.”
Again with the eggs. I roll my eyes and lift my chin toward the ladies. “Anything you need help with?”
“Find a movie,” Emma calls out.
“Just nothing she thinks is directed by John Hughes,” Ryan adds.
I nod, like I’d know anything directed by John Hughes, whether she thinks it or not. I go in search for something with a lot of action, preferably with shit blowing up. Those are my kinds of movies. I love anything where the main character doesn’t follow the rules and challenges the norm. That must be why I love Footloose.
“Drinks are served.” Kayla delivers something red in a martini glass.
“What is this?” I ask.
Ryan laughs. “Vodka and cherry syrup.”
“Maraschino martini,” Emma corrects. “He’s always doing that. He thinks it cute.”
Kayla gives me that devastating smile and follows it up with a cute little wink. “Enjoy.” She then hands Ryan a glass. In all honesty, I’d rather have what he’s having. “Water for you.”
“Oh, goodie. Water. My favorite.” He motions at my glass. “It’s a total chick drink. Emma likes them.”
“So do you,” Emma yells out from the kitchen. She’s got ridiculously good hearing.
Ryan nods at the couch. “Sit. It hurts my neck to look at you when you’re standing. So,” he starts after I settle down on the couch. “Are you and Kayla, like, a thing?”
I freeze as I fight for my answer. Finally, after swallowing down my panic over the question, I plaster on a smile. I want this. I love her. I have no reason to freak out over a simple question. Right? We’re most definitely a thing. And yet, when Ryan asks me the question, I break out in a sweat. “Something like that.”
“Dude, I get it.”
Get what? I haven’t told him anything. I don’t know him well enough to have that Jedi mind-meld thing like some bros have, where we can say one thing and mean something entirely different. “You do?”
“When Emma and I first started out, she wouldn’t admit to it, either.”
He’s better than I thought. Still, I play dumb. “Admit to what?”
“It’s obvious you’re into Kayla,” he says quietly and darts a quick look to the kitchen. The girls are busy gossiping and not paying any attention to us. “I had to literally drop on one knee to even get Emma to hold my hand.”
That doesn’t sound like the same Emma who freaked out when she couldn’t see him at the accident. “I guess it worked. You two are moving in together. She said you were out looking for apartments when that gal hit you.”
“We’d just looked at the last one on the list and were heading back here. It all happened so fast. I barely had time to react.”
“But you did,” I point out. “You may have saved her life. Are you sure you don’t want to tell her?”
“No,” he answers quickly, catching the girls’ attention. They both stop talking and look at us. Ryan and I wave. Kayla frowns and shakes her head as she catches my gaze with hers. I smile, drawing the same from her. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
Ryan’s voice pulls my attention to him. “Is it that obvious?”
He shrugs and cringes. “I have to stop doing that.”
“When was the last time you took a pain med?”
“A while ago.”
I can’t shake what he did to save his girl. “Buddy, I think you should tell her what you did.”
“I’m not telling her,” he insists.
“Tell me what?” Emma’s freakishly good hearing strikes again. She steps out of the kitchen, her cherry syrup martini in hand, and stops in front of us, her gaze resting on Ryan. “Well?”
“It’s uh…um…it’s nothing.”
“They why are you stuttering?”
Shit. She’s good. And pissed. I jump to my feet to not get caught in the crossfire. “I’m just going to go check and see if Kayla needs any help.” I rush into the kitchen and practically hide behind her.
“What’d you do?”
Damn. Kayla is just as perceptive as Emma. It must be a woman thing. With a quick glance Ryan’s way to see him focused on Emma, I then pull Kayla to the wall, hiding us from view. “Ryan steered the scooter into the car.”
“Why would he do that?”
“To protect Emma.”
“Holy shit. He could have been killed.”
“I know.”
“You what!” Emma yells. I peek around the fridge. The accident may not have killed him, but she looks ready to. “Goddamn you, Harold Bartholomew Francis Ryan.”
“Full names are never a good sign,” Kayla mutters behind me. I nod in agreement.
Emma shakes her finger at him like a parent scolding a child. I’ve seen the same with Shannon and Mel. Ryan flinches at every shake. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Any idea at all? Do you know what could have happened to you? Sweet Jesus behind the wheel. Do you even understand…how…much…I…l-l-lo…” She trails off when her sobs take over.
Ryan pulls her onto his lap and brushes the hair out of her eyes. “I love you, too.”
He kisses her until her sobs slow. She pushes away and throws her arms around him. From the wince in his expression, it hurts, but he says nothing. “Never do something that stupid again.”
“Yes, dear.”
“I’m serious, Ryan. I’ll kill you myself.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Shut up.” She laughs as she wipes at her eyes. “God, that was embarrassing. You guys better not be watching.”
I duck back behind the fridge, pulling Kayla with me. She slams into my chest and I hold her there. When I hear Emma approach, I cover Kayla’s mouth with mine and lick her lips open. She responds immediately and curls her arms around my neck.
“I can’t leave you two alone for a minute.” Emma walks into the kitchen and grabs me by the shoulder. “Out, Jake. Let Kayla and me make one of the dishes you brought.”
“Do you know how to cook?”
She narrows her puffy eyes. “Don’t push me, buddy. After what Ryan just told me, I’m not in the mood.”
“He only did it because he loves you,” Kayla offers.
Emma’s mouth falls open. “You know what he did?”
“Only because Jake just told me.”
She turns her wrath on me. “You knew?” I nod. “I’d kill you right now, but I’m too hungry and don’t want to have to clean up the mess. Now, out. We can manage.”
“I can’t,” Kayla admits. “Unless it comes in a box or has clear directions, I’m a failure in the kitchen.”
“Not true.” I shake my head. “We’ve been making meals together for three weeks now. You’re good.”
“Because you’re right there telling me what to do.”
“And yet, you still fight me.” I take a step toward her.
“Only on certain things.”
“I, uh…” Emma backs away. “Tell you what. You two make dinner. I’ll find us a movie.”
I grin as I regard Kayla. “What are you in the mood for?”
That spark in her eye
s strums across my nerves. God, she’s beautiful. When she licks her lips, I nearly come undone.
“I want carbs,” Emma calls out from the living room. She’s back on Ryan’s lap, running her fingers through his hair. “After the accident, carbs are in order. Something extremely fattening, like pasta with about a million calories.”
Kayla and I smile. “My specialty. What do you say, baby? Wanna help me make pasta?”
“I told you not to call me baby.” Her grin widens.
“Unless I’m inside you.” I lean in and nip at her ear. “A problem I plan to rectify the instant I get you alone.”
“This time I get to blindfold you.” The blush that washes over her cheeks holds me prisoner. I can’t do anything but stare at her. Did she really just say that? She gives me another coy little wink and I’m ready to tell Emma and Ryan they’re on their own. She has me close to dropping to my knees with that look.
“Should we go in the other room?” Emma asks. “Or will you two be able to manage to not have sex while making dinner?”
I laugh while Kayla turns ten shades of red. “No promises.”
Emma kneels in front of their rack of DVDs. “That’s comforting. And gross.”
31
[Jake]
I stand back as I nod at Kayla. “Ready to make homemade pasta?”
“I’m not making homemade pasta,” she says as she opens the fridge and pulls out the noodles I made this morning. “But I will boil these if you heat up the sauce.” She holds up the alfredo in one hand and the marinara in the other. “Are we in the mood for white or red?”
“White!” Emma and Ryan offer their choice in unison.
“I don’t trust myself with any red sauce. I’ll end up ruining whatever I’m wearing. I’m already down an outfit after the accident. Where is it? Aha!” Emma pulls a movie off the rack to show Ryan. He groans and rolls his eyes. “What? It’s my favorite.”
“And we watch it once a week. I thought I hid it better.”
“We’re watching it twice this week.” She plants a loud kiss on his lips. “Besides, as soon as you eat something, I’ll give you more Oxy. You’ll be passed out in your chair and drooling before the opening credits are over.”
“I hate that shit. I get weird dreams on it.”
“I have weird dreams without it, so we’re even.”
Ryan laughs. “That makes no sense.”
“You love me anyway.”
Kayla sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. “Cutest couple ever.”
I wrap an arm around her. “I don’t know. I think we give them a run for their money.”
“Do we?”
“Don’t we?”
She sucks in a breath and tucks her hair behind her ear. “How about we just get dinner ready?”
“What’d I say?” She shakes her head and will no longer look at me. When she wipes her eyes, my heart drops. Shit. What’d I do? Why’s she crying? “Would you talk to me?”
“I’m just really stressed out. I should be home working on my last final, not here pretending we’re a normal couple.”
Ouch. Jesus, when she’s running scared, she can be brutal. “We aren’t normal?”
“What do you think?”
“Is, uh, everything okay in there?” Emma asks.
We storm to opposite corners. I lean against the wall and cross my arms to drum my fingers on my biceps. Why am I trying so hard when all she does is shoot me down? I know the answer before I even ask the question.
Because I know the Kayla she really is beneath the hard layer she keeps on the surface. She’s miserable being this scared little Kayla, and I hate it. I want her to be my Kayla, the one willing to release control and let me blindfold her. That Kayla knows how to live. This Kayla is too scared to.
“Who’s ready for refills?” She moves into the living room. I push away from the wall and watch her, waiting for her to turn around and look at me, but she never does. So, I just stand there, my hands on my hips. She’s so scared to accept the fact I’m not going anywhere. She doesn’t believe me. Based on my track record, I don’t blame her. It’s going to take more than words to prove it to her.
I catch Ryan’s eye. He immediately looks away. Odd. Now he won’t even regard me. Something’s up, something neither of the girls pick up. But I do. I know my partner. He’s got something on his mind. My problems take a back burner.
“Hey, Ryan? Didn’t you have that new thing you wanted to show me?”
“What new thing?”
“That new thing, you know, in another room?”
“Oh, that new thing.” He nods when he finally catches on.
“Pah-lease,” Emma groans. “If you two want to sneak off and be all TREXy or whatever, just do it. You don’t have to make shit up.”
When I eye him knowingly, he sheepishly grins. “Dude, you give me shit for telling Kayla?”
“She just sort of found out.”
“Because I sort of tripped over the gym bag he left in the middle of the floor that had all his spy shit in it.”
“I’m not a spy.” He rolls his eyes.
“Whatever, James Bond. Are you two going to go do your secret agent stuff or what?” She freezes and rounds her eyes as she spins to face Kayla. “Sweet Jesus with loose lips.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
Kayla nods. “Jake told me.”
She breaths out a sigh. “Oh, thank God. I thought I totally messed up again. I mentioned something in front of his brother once. Turns out he already knew, too, and wasn’t happy that Ryan joined the agency. That was a fun weekend. I can’t keep a secret to save my life.”
“She’s not wrong.” Ryan nods at the front door. “Let’s take this outside.” I unlock the brakes and wheel him outside. It’s not raining for a change. The sun is even out. He lifts his face to the sky and closes his eyes, breathing in deep. “This is the first time I’ve been outside that apartment since I got home from the hospital. I’ve been going stir crazy. Please tell me you have something for us to do. Some intel you need me to collect. Something that gets me out of here.”
“It’s been less than a week since the accident, buddy. You have to give your body time to heal.”
He shakes his head, like he doesn’t believe me. “What’s the difference between sitting on my ass here or in the van?”
I’ve seen this before, too. If the injured are used to being active, to doing more outside the home than in, they get restless fast. There’s nothing I can say that will convince him he should rest. I need do something to get his mind off the situation. “Anything new on Gerald Murphy?”
“That’s why I wanted to get you away from the girls.” Ryan’s expression lights up. He definitely needs this. It’s like he comes alive. I’ll talk to Bailey about giving him assignments to keep him busy. He’s right. There’s no difference between him sitting at home or in the van. He can work either way—if he’s not doped up on painkillers. “After we got home from the event, I did some digging. Turns out my mom isn’t the anonymous donor after all. She’s just a lonely woman wanting a little company.”
I don’t know if I believe him. Those in denial will do anything to find answers, to come up with alternative facts, like excusing his mom for trolling for young men at a political event. Now isn’t the time to point that out. “Who’s the donor?”
“Olivia Blunt.”
Wow. He actually had an answer. Whether it’s right or not is the next question. When the name registers, I chuckle. “The organizer from the Bloedel Reserve event?” She did seem chummy with Murphy at the event, and he did call her Liv, like they were more than acquaintances. “What does she possibly gain by funding whatever it is Murphy has planned?”
“Because she’s not just an event planner. Turns out that’s just a front. She uses it to coordinate little shindigs for her real clients.” He holds up his hands. “God, I wish I had my laptop.”
“Where is it? I’ll go get it.”
; He shakes his head. “TREX has me on lockdown until I’m off the pain meds. Apparently, they’re worried I’ll track down all my mom’s affairs.”
I eye him and recognize that guilty look deepening his expression. “How many did you get before they shut you down?”
“Only one.” Like that makes it any better. “She called me when I was in the hospital and not from her phone. I traced it back to the Crowne Plaza in downtown Seattle. It wasn’t hard to retrieve the guest list and cross-reference it with the attendee list from the event. I easily found the one she was with.”
For such a straight-laced guy, he shocks me at his blatant disregard for the rules. Then again, he’s like Kayla. He doesn’t think when he breaks the rules it’s the same thing as when others break them. And, like with Kayla, it’s my job to point that out.
“Ryan, you can’t bend the rules when it suits you. If every TREX agent tracked things down whenever they wanted, broke the rules for their own personal gain, we’d have chaos.”
Holy shit. Did I just say that? It’s frightening enough when Kayla’s crazy makes sense, let alone when I have the chance to apply it.
“That’s why I need your help.”
“I’m not helping you with this, buddy. You want to break the rules, you’re on your own.”
“I don’t want to break the rules, Jake. I just want to help on this find. We can’t lose this lead on the Order. You have to convince Bailey to unlock my access.”
“I can’t convince anyone else when I’m not even convinced myself.”
His face sags. He looks like I just stole his girl. “How can you say that after everything I’ve done for you?”
“I’m grateful for the intel,” I fire back, pissed he’s using the job as some sort of justification to go around the rules. “That’s not the point and you know it. I’m not going to help you do something so monumentally stupid. This could get you kicked out of TREX.”
“You’re supposed to be my partner.”
“That’s why I’m not going to let you do this.”
He turns an interesting shade of crimson as he works his jaw and stares straight ahead. Let him be pissed. Let him hate me for not going along with this. Maybe he’ll give up when he realizes how bat shit crazy he’s being. “Fine. I’ll find another way in. Leave me alone. I need to think.”
The Heat Is On (TREX Rookies Book 2) Page 28