by Anna Paige
It wasn't easy biting back my laughter. "You mean to tell me you lost this bedroom in a poker game?"
He jokingly dropped his head in shame, shoulders shaking with laughter. "And my car."
"What?" My voice echoed through the entire bus. "You're kidding!"
"Nope." He met my eye, totally serious. "I was lucky to get out of there with both my kidneys. Wouldn't put it past him to harvest one as a spare." He snorted. "Though, my money is on his liver being the first thing to crap out."
"I'm surprised you have any money left to bet at this point." My eyes were watering I was fighting so hard not to laugh.
"Me, too." He joked. "Needless to say, I don't play cards with my brother anymore. Hell, every time I see a deck of cards on one of the buses, I throw them away. Bastard isn't getting me like that again."
I just shook my head, letting my amusement show. Kane was so open and easy going, it made it hard to act like a hard-ass around him. "Great. Like I didn’t have to look out for enough stuff around here, now I get to add card-hustling to the list." I was joking but Kane's face fell.
His voice was low and wounded. "I know this is probably a nightmare assignment for you, but we're really not that bad. My brother especially isn't as hard-hearted as he pretends to be. Don't take his shit personally, and don't feel like you have to watch your back around us. We wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"I didn't mean…" My mouth ran dry at the look on his face.
"Yeah, you did. You just didn't intend to say it out loud." He stood, stepping so far back he was pressed against the wall. "I'm not sure what you see when you look at the five of us, but I really hope you at least look a little bit deeper before you make up your mind. Good night, Aubrey." He stepped out the door and pulled it closed with a soft click.
"Good night, Kane." I whispered to the empty room.
I hadn't meant to sound suspicious of them, but I couldn't deny that was how I felt. They were all huge and intimidating, and none of them wanted me there. Maybe I was afraid of them. Or maybe just one of them. But I had a good reason for that.
Kade Edenfield was a violent man. The whole world knew it, had heard the stories and seen the reports about the assault charge in Missouri last year.
He was huge, and short-tempered, and he didn't like me one damn bit.
Yeah, I was afraid of Kade Edenfield.
And if that wasn't problem enough, he also turned me on.
That menacing stare he was so known for? Yep, made my heart gallop like a racehorse.
The hard lines of his face, the steely set of his jaw, even the downward turn of his mouth when he argued with me today; it all made me hot. Embarrassingly hot. Unprofessionally hot. Pathetically hot.
He was a far cry from my usual type, my last serious relationship—several years ago—having been with a rather boring accountant with no discernible sense of humor. Now, I was panting after music's most notorious bad boy. I must have lost my damn mind, and if I wasn't careful to hide the attraction, I'd lose my job too. Not that I would ever do anything about it, but it was definitely a problem I hadn't anticipated when I was given the assignment. I assumed I'd dislike him, and maybe I did, to a degree. But not all of me was afraid of him, and that was what worried me most.
I shook off my train of thought and prepared for bed—plugging in all my devices to charge and turning down the covers—having decided to wait until morning to apologize to Kane. It had only been around a minute since he'd left looking like a kicked puppy, and I didn't think I could bear to see that look on his face again. By morning, he would be better and I would make it right. Somehow.
"What the fuck did I tell you, Kane?" Kade's voice was loud and angry, seemingly right outside my door. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"
"Ease up, man. I was taking her a blanket," came Kane's patient reply.
How long had they been out there talking? I'd been so distracted, I couldn't be sure. Not long, obviously, since Kane had just left my room a minute before.
Oh shit, he'd just left my room.
Kade must have seen and assumed… Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
"Bull. Shit. I know you better than that, brother." Kade snarled as I was snatching up the blanket in question and jerking the door open to look down the narrow, bunk-flanked hall. Kane was standing with his back to me, Kade practically nose to nose with him, heaving and glaring. When Kade heard the door open, his eyes shot to me. And the quilt I was shaking at him as I glared right back.
Kane turned to the side, peering at me himself with a blank expression. He probably would have smiled at my attempts to come to his aid if I hadn't hurt his feelings just moments before. He turned and stepped back up to Kade, his voice sounding nearly as deep and deadly as his brother's. "See? Now get the fuck out of my way so I can crash. I've had enough bullshit suspicion for one day."
Ouch, got us both with one shot.
Kade's eyes never left me as Kane pushed past him and headed for the couches. When it was just the two of us, he seemed to soften—if only a little. I, on the other hand, was so livid I could barely see straight. How dare he insinuate that Kane and I were… or that I would hook up with anybody I'd known for only a few hours? And who was he to warn Kane away from me? What did he think I was; a goddamn groupie?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. If I opened my mouth, there was no telling what I might say, so instead of unleashing the verbal smack-down swirling on the tip of my tongue, I slowly raised the blanket to eye level before flipping him off and walking back into the bedroom, slamming the door in my wake.
•••
I woke up before anyone else the next morning, having tossed and turned all night, barely getting a scant hour toward dawn before giving up and going in search of coffee. Sleeping on a moving vehicle wasn’t going to come easy for me; I’d known that and it had been one of the main reasons I hadn’t volunteered for the job, not that I’d ended up having a choice.
I crept down the hallway, listening for signs of movement. There were none. Both of the guys were still asleep on their respective couches. Both flat on their backs with one arm across their eyes to block the sunlight that peeked in through the heavy front shades. So much alike. I smiled despite myself, taking a moment to wonder which was which, given that there were no visible means of telling them apart just then. Their forearm tattoos were obscured by the positioning of their arms and neither of them had ink on their chests.
One of them, though I had no idea which, groaned in his sleep and pulled the blankets higher, covering most of his face as if tired of my assessing eyes. I turned away, realizing how creeped out I would be if either of them stood there like that and watched me sleep.
Although, the thought of Kade's eyes on me was less creepy and more… I don't know… intriguing. What would he see? What would he be thinking? Would he be wishing me away or would something else be on his mind?
Stop that shit. It doesn't matter what he thinks of you or whether he wants you. You're not here to hook up. You're here to do your damn job.
I needed to stop the inappropriate thoughts and focus.
For focus, I would need coffee; lots and lots of coffee.
I was thrilled to once again lay eyes on the small, professional brewing system tucked into the far corner of the kitchen. I’d spotted it the night before, and if I was remembering correctly, the coffee was in the freezer.
Yep, and a really good brand. Score!
I happily set about making a full pot—I knew I'd probably need the whole thing just to function—and grabbed my toiletry bag on the way to the cramped bathroom; really cramped. To be fair, though, it wasn't quite as small as the bathroom in my parent's old travel trailer. They'd gotten the camping bug when I was around ten and dragged me all over the place in that thing.
It wasn't so bad really, except that damn bathroom. That room had been so uncomfortable, I had to leave the door open to shower or I felt like I was suffocating. My dad had laughed at me about it, teasing the way he al
ways did. I could still hear him chuckling over the morning news as the steam from my shower swirled through the entire camper. He'd had the best laugh, raspy and deep; distinctive and unforgettable. And he laughed a lot, finding joy in just about everything. A lump formed in my throat as I replayed the sound in my mind a few times, drawing from memory.
He’d been an adventurer through and through; never afraid to jump, to fly, or even to fail. And he laughed through it all, because he found what made him happy and held tight to it no matter what. Held tight to my mother and me, right till the end.
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest.
Not now. I can't think about this now.
Pushing the images of his face from my mind, I refocused on my morning routine. I showered quickly, not knowing how limited the hot water supply was and wanting to avoid subjecting either of the guys to a cold shower. Though, hot-headed Kade could probably use one, and it would serve him right for being such an ass.
God, he pissed me off.
I was still stewing about his late night outburst as I dressed for the day, barely able to breathe for the thick cloud of steam surrounding me. After fighting with the foggy mirror for a while, I cracked the door open and peeked in the direction of the guys, both still blissfully sleeping. I let out a sigh of relief and swung the door all the way open, watching the steam roll out and drawing in a breath of pleasantly cool air.
Satisfied that I could once again breathe in the cramped space, I pulled my damp hair into a knot at the top of my head and grabbed the moisturizer from my bag, applying it carefully to my face and neck and trying not to imagine Kade's hands as my fingers swept the dip between my neck and collarbone, making me shiver. I took an inordinate amount of time applying that moisturizer and letting my imagination run wild.
It was only a fantasy, no harm done.
It wasn’t as if I’d ever act on the attraction.
I was surprisingly relaxed and almost done with my makeup—not that I wore much of it but a little mascara never hurt—when one of the twins strode right into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes and reaching for the waistband of his sweats, totally oblivious to my presence until he ran right into me, nearly sending me sprawling into the glass shower door. His arms shot out and grabbed me by the waist just in time to stop the impact and I was left gasping, looking into the bewildered and slightly annoyed eyes of Kade Edenfield.
All I could think—aside from 'thank God I wasn't applying eyeliner'—was 'did he have his dick in his hand when he plowed into me?'
Kade plowing into me… now there was a pleasant thought.
But was it Kade? I studied his face for a moment, trying to determine which of them it was. I realized the annoyed look wasn't enough information, given the way I'd offended Kane last night. It could be either of them looking at me like they were irritated at my existence. I really needed to memorize their tattoos or something.
"Kade?"
His curt nod confirmed my earlier assumption. "You okay?" Voice thick with sleep, his gaze roved over me. Looking for injuries? Probably. It wasn't like he would be checking me out, right?
I nodded, particularly aware that his hands still gripped my waist on either side, the heat of them practically burning through the thin fabric of my T-shirt.
He seemed to realize he was still holding on, his eyes darting to where his hands gripped me. There was a second where I could have sworn I felt his thumbs trail the edges of my abdomen, like a caress, then the warmth of his touch was gone completely as he stepped back.
"You know, most people close the bathroom door when they're using it." He cleared his throat and suddenly seemed fascinated by the wallpaper just over my left shoulder.
"The steam was making it hard to breathe and the mirror was foggy, so I opened the door to let in some cool air." Why was I explaining myself to him? "Besides, most people look where they're walking. And I'm betting most men would—oh, I don't know—wait until they're behind closed doors to pull out their…" I nodded pointedly.
"Cock?" He supplied, smirking as he met my gaze.
I felt the heat rushing to my face, damn him. That was exactly what he wanted; to throw me off balance figuratively after he'd already done so literally. "Yes. Their cock." I gave him a defiant look that was essentially wasted, since he was too busy staring at my mouth to notice. I had to lean down into his line of sight to break his focus. When I did, he plastered a bored expression on his face and quirked a brow.
"I'm betting those men are used to living around women. We haven't had to worry about closed doors or toilet seats or proper etiquette in a very long time." He made no apologies, just stated the facts and looked at me as if it were my fault for intruding on their lifestyle.
"So?"
"So… we'll work on it." He offered, still occasionally flicking his gaze to my mouth.
"Fine." I gave him a curt nod and reached for the door, forcing him to step all the way out.
Just as my hand landed on the knob, he gripped my wrist, his thumb making a slow, deliberate pass across my pulse point. "And for the record, if my cock had been out, you would have known it. Make no mistake about that." His tone was snarky but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes along with something that looked dangerously like desire.
No, I'm imagining it.
He hated me, resented me, and wanted me gone. There was no way he wanted me like that. None. This attraction was entirely one-sided, and I wasn't about to let him know he affected me. He'd get way too much satisfaction from knowing that. Nope. Not happening.
I gave him an unimpressed eye roll as I tugged my arm away and closed the door.
One look at my flushed cheeks in the mirror was enough to tell me I'd failed at hiding my reaction. Shit. Shit. Shit. It was like waving a red flag at a bull. I had to figure out a way to temper my response to him or he was going to have a field day making me squirm.
Maybe cold showers weren't such a bad thing after all.
Lots and lots of cold showers.
•••
When I finally gathered myself and stepped out of the bathroom, the first thing I saw was Kade sitting at the horseshoe-shaped dinette, sipping coffee and fiddling with his phone.
"You're not posting on social media, are you?" It just sort of came out, my first instinct being to remind him of the ban I'd placed on everyone. At least I was in work mode again.
"No, warden. Just scrolling MSN and catching up on current events. You know, the stories that matter, as opposed to the ones circulating about my sex life." He turned from his phone, cup of coffee raised to his lips as he froze and nodded at the wad of clothes in my hands. "Hmm… those are sexier than I would have pictured. Nice."
Confused, I looked down only to realize that my red lace underwear were right on top, in full view. "Shit." I tucked them into the ball of clothes and looked back at a smirking Kade. "Couldn't just let that one pass, could you?"
"Nope." He gave a syrupy, smartass smile and rose to hit the newly-vacated bathroom.
"Asshat." I muttered on my way to the bedroom.
There was a soft laugh from the bathroom. "I heard that."
"I don't care." I called back, trying to fight through my embarrassment. Once I'd put away my stuff, I turned and marched back to the kitchen, my addictive need for coffee outweighing my desire to avoid Kade.
He was back at the table, lucky me, sipping his coffee like he hadn’t just intentionally embarrassed the hell out of me. I stuck my tongue out when I was out of his line of sight; childish, but it made me feel marginally better. Okay, a lot better.
After my grade school outburst, I filled the biggest mug I could find with the delicious elixir of the gods—what could I say, I loved my java—and meandered in the kitchen for a minute, deciding what to do. I didn't want to hide in the bedroom, and the couch across from Kane still had Kade's blankets and pillow on it, so I didn't want to sit there. I was eyeing the seat across from Kade with a bit of trepidation when he startled me out of my stupor.
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"You gonna sit down or just hover there all morning?"
I reluctantly took the seat across from him, trying hard not to meet his eyes as I sipped my coffee in silence.
"You brewed it really strong." He said quietly.
My head snapped up. "Is that bad?"
His mouth tipped up slightly on one side, so close to a smile but somehow still light years away. "Not at all. I like strong coffee. Kane," He glanced at his brother's sleeping form, "not so much. But he deals with it. I told him years ago I wasn't going for that mild roast, watered-down, caramel-syruped crap he drinks. No way." He shook his head. "The fucker dated a barista for like a month back in high school, and he's been screwed up ever since."
I found myself beginning to relax, finally. "I tend to stick to strong black coffee with just enough sugar to chase away the bitterness." He nodded his approval. "But I also fell in love with eggnog lattes a couple years back and have to have at least one around Christmas time."
He just shook his head. "Shameful."
"Nope. The best of both worlds." I lifted my cup to my lips, blowing across it and taking a sip.
I looked up to find him watching my mouth again. Realizing he was caught, he quickly glanced down at his phone. "So, you're having a hard time telling me and my brother apart?"
I frowned over at him, not that he was looking at me. "Why do you ask?"
"In the bathroom earlier, you seemed confused about which twin I was. I guess I thought you'd be able to tell. Most people can figure out who's who just by our expressions." His eyes flashed to mine. "If you're in need of help telling us apart, Kane is the one who always smiles and I always look mildly pissed off, or so I'm told. Resting jerk face, as my bandmates call it. I guess it's supposed to be the male version of resting bitch face."
I would have laughed at the comparison but I was too busy looking over at Kane with regret. "I don't think he would have been smiling at me, either this morning."
In my peripheral vision, I saw Kade's head whip in his brother's direction. "And what makes you think that?"