Kalen and Ace had had time to talk after they showered. Kalen smiled at remembering washing her body. He loved learning new things about her every time they touched, and the shower was a perfect place for him to explore. He had found that she responded when he whispered naughty things in her ear, his breath teasing her skin. She liked when her nipples were rolled between his fingers, but loved it more when he pinched them. She was ticklish behind the knees and couldn’t stand having her feet touched, which was odd, because when she returned the favor of washing him, she concentrated on his feet. And his absolute favorite thing about her was that she loved having her ass played with. He had always been an ass man, Ace usually preferring to be sunk balls deep in pussy. But when a woman was filled in both areas, there was nothing like bringing her to orgasm and feeling her ass clamp down on his dick. Kalen barely missed a hubcap that was lying on the side of the road. Clarissa distracted his thoughts, when he should be thinking of his previous conversation with Ace.
While Clarissa had been fiddling with the hair dryer in the bathroom, Kalen and Ace had tried to figure out where they should go from here. Was love at first sight possible? Neither one had expected to fall for Clarissa as fast as they had, especially with her being their client. They agreed they didn’t want some one-night stand or brief fling that would end when the danger to her life was terminated. Both he and Ace wanted more, but when he had mentioned it during their lovemaking earlier this morning, he had felt Clarissa’s doubt. He had conveyed to Ace what emotions Clarissa was emitting, and they had both agreed that they didn’t want to pussyfoot around the situation either. They had decided they would continue to make such statements regarding wanting more until she believed them. Kalen knew finding the right one for them meant a lot to Ace. Since he came from such a dysfunctional family, Ace craved to have one of his own where love took center stage. Kalen agreed wholeheartedly.
For whatever reason, Clarissa didn’t believe in herself. Sure, she was confident when it came to her work, but outside of that, she seemed to feel she wasn’t good enough. Ace had suggested it had something to do with her childhood, but the way she spoke of her parents, Kalen didn’t think so. If he had to guess, he would say Clarissa happened to be one of those smart girls in high school and college who hadn’t been accepted into the “popular” groups and, instead, focused solely on her studies.
It seemed her past experiences with the opposite sex had been a bust, but that worked in their favor. Obviously, Clarissa had picked some dickheads to try and experiment with and had come to the wrong conclusion that she was the problem. He couldn’t imagine anything better than him and Ace being the ones to teach her otherwise.
The only foreseeable problem they could come up with that might hinder their future was this research Clarissa was working on. A physical threat was easily eliminated, especially with the team of Nobles Jagger had assigned to hunt down their target. Unfortunately, whatever Clarissa was hiding wasn’t something that could easily be destroyed. Whatever data she had in her possession, they were all worried it might have a major impact on the Noble race. Kalen just hoped it wouldn’t destroy any hopes they had of having a life with Clarissa.
Kalen followed behind them as they turned off the main road. Instead of the safe house being smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, this location was an old farmhouse. They drove another few miles before turning onto a dirt road. Their road bikes were certainly not made for this terrain, but it wasn’t like they would be here long enough to warrant changing them out for a truck. Slowing, Ace led the way, avoiding any holes or rocks that might cause damage to their cruisers. After fifteen minutes of careful maneuvering, Kalen caught sight of the farmhouse. It was a ranch-style house, painted white with a matching porch railing that wrapped around the side of the home. The dirt turned to gravel, and they followed the path up to the house, pulling around a small blue car that was parked near the porch. Before Kalen could shut off his bike, Ace pointed toward a separate garage that was situated off to the side. Kalen nodded his agreement, and after a few minutes, they had steered their bikes inside and shut off the engines.
Kalen was glad to see Clarissa climb off the bike on her own, but suppressed a chuckle when she couldn’t get the strap of her helmet undone. Ace stood next to her and helped her take the protective gear off of her head, her curls staying in place since she used a tie to bind them at the base of her neck. The smile she gave them tripped his heart, her eyes sparkling with life. Clarissa wore jeans and one of his T-shirts tied in a knot at the waist to keep it from hanging to her knees. Kalen didn’t think he’d ever seen such a beautiful sight.
“Are you getting used to it?” Kalen asked, standing beside her. Reaching into his side bag to bring out her red purse, he quickly turned to hand it to Clarissa when she came closer. He didn’t want a repeat of last time, when his bike almost landed on its side. Handing it to her, he placed his hand on her back and guided her out to the yard.
“It’s so much fun! I might have to buy one myself,” Clarissa laughed, squinting when the sun hit their faces. That was a good thing, considering Ace’s mouth fell open. “I’ll have to see if I can find someone to teach me to drive one of those things back home.”
Kalen knew she was talking about Montana, and Ace glanced up at her statement, both sharing a look of agreement that they wouldn’t press the issue right now. He could see Ace’s mind turning over at the information, but more so about the fact she wanted to buy a bike. For one thing, no one but he and Ace would teach her to drive a motorcycle. And for another, Kalen wasn’t sure she should be driving one. Her tendency to cause mayhem sent his protective instincts into overdrive, and the thought of her actually on a bike by herself would give him a heart attack. Maybe they could buy her one and she could just sit on it. He liked that idea better. What really caught his attention was her talking about going back home. He knew it was rather quick, but he would rather have her with them at the Noble compound in Colorado.
“Took you guys long enough.” Kalen looked up to see Tavia standing on the porch, a cup of coffee in her hand. Tavia might be tiny, but her power was anything but. The way she could cause pain to someone in an instant made everyone weary of her. Why she kept her red hair short and spiky, he’d never know. It didn’t help with people’s perceptions, but maybe that’s why she did it. Tavia was as loyal a friend as anyone could have, but she rarely let people too close. He knew nothing of her background, except that she was one of the teens that Ace used to hang out with when they were younger. She had multiple piercings, the majority in her ears, although she had one in her eyebrow that caused him to wince every time he saw it.
“How’s my favorite Sadist doing?” Ace called out, walking ahead of them and taking Tavia’s coffee before she could reply.
“Hey, get your own, you ass!” Tavia shoved his shoulder and made an attempt to grab her mug back from his hands. Ace laughed and swallowed the rest of the coffee down before handing her back an empty cup. “You are such a dickhead.”
“But you love me anyway.” Ace moved out of the way before Tavia could hit him again. He gestured toward Clarissa. “Tavia, this is Clarissa Worthing. Clarissa, meet Tavia, the Sadist in our group.”
Clarissa stepped forward, putting out her hand in gesture. “It’s nice to meet you. Ace and Kalen told me you brought my suitcase from my car and my equipment from Jagger. Thank you very much.”
Tavia returned Clarissa’s handshake, although her expression was one of mistrust. Kalen knew she noticed his hand on Clarissa’s back but was smart enough not to comment. It wasn’t her business who they got personally involved with. “You’re welcome. I put all the boxes in a bedroom in the back of the house.”
“What happened to the men at the bar?” Clarissa asked, taking a step closer to Kalen. He wasn’t sure if she was even aware she did so, but it made him feel good. “Kalen told me that you interrogated them. Were you able to find out who is after me?”
“We’re still working on that,�
� Tavia said, clearly avoiding answering her question. She gave him and Ace pointed looks that said she wanted to speak with them alone.
“Clarissa, why don’t you go make sure all of your equipment is here?” Kalen suggested, wanting to know what Tavia knew that she couldn’t say in front of Clarissa. Unfortunately, Clarissa wasn’t having any of it.
“I’d really appreciate an honest answer. If there is something that could affect the time I have to look over the data that I have, I need to know,” Clarissa told Tavia, who raised the eyebrow with the little silver barbell. Given Tavia’s ability, it was rare that anyone went against what Tavia wanted. And at this moment, it was evident that Tavia didn’t want to speak with Clarissa.
“Look, Ms. Worthing, you worry about your little scientific experiments and let me handle finding out who wants to kill you.” Tavia’s barbell didn’t come down as she had a staring contest with Clarissa.
Kalen shifted uncomfortably, while Ace crossed his arms and leaned against the white wooden post of the porch, clearly enjoying the potential fallout. Ace always had a weird sense of amusement, but what Tavia was capable of when someone pissed her off made Kalen uneasy. He didn’t want Clarissa hurt in any way and would hate that he would have to go against his friend. How he would do that was still a mystery, since Tavia could bring him to his knees with just a thought.
Clarissa’s back straightened, and she put her hands on her hips. A new side emerged that he and Ace had only heard about. This must be Dr. Worthing showing her presence. “My little scientific experiments, as you call them, might well just save your ass one day. So I suggest that if there is something I need to know about the men that are after me, you tell me now. I have work to do, and I’d rather not waste my time standing out here seeing who has the bigger set of tits.”
Ace’s amusement turned to disbelief, if his jaw dropping was anything to go by, and Tavia didn’t move. Kalen took a step forward, his hand up, trying to caution Tavia that Clarissa wasn’t used to Nobles. He was about to ramble off a ton of excuses for Clarissa when Tavia broke into a smile and threw her head back to give a hearty laugh.
“I like you.” Tavia motioned for Clarissa to walk ahead of her into the house, still laughing. “Come on in and I’ll tell you all we know. They were hired by phone and have no clue…”
Kalen stood there in shock, watching the two women head inside like they were long-lost friends. What the hell had just happened? He felt like he was in some twilight zone and just got zapped to another dimension. He joined Ace on the porch, not taking his eyes off the door, afraid of what was going on behind it. Right when Kalen was about to speak, Ace beat him to it.
“I will never understand women.” Ace unfolded his arms. “You go in first, just in case I need to immobilize anyone.”
“Coward,” Kalen muttered, but sucked it up and entered the house first.
* * * *
“How long has she been in there?” Ace asked, coming out of the kitchen after having loaded the dishwasher. Tavia had left hours ago, wanting to get back to Reed and investigate another lead. “I put a plate of pasta in the refrigerator for her. She needs to eat.”
“You go tell her that.” Kalen was sitting in the hideous blue chair, his feet up on the scratched coffee table. Ace had thought, from the looks of the outside, that this ranch house would have nice furniture. The décor was hideous. None of the furniture matched, and the wooden tables seemed cheap. “The last time I stuck my head in the door, I thought she was going to throw that microscope at me.”
“Well, we now know why she has a reputation. She’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Ace sat in the middle of the couch, laying his head back and closing his eyes. “Who would have thought anyone could get Tavia to loosen up like that, let alone Clarissa? Those two are the total opposite.”
“Haven’t you learned by now not to question the way a woman’s mind works?” Ace tilted his head to open one eye, seeing that Kalen was staring at him. “At least the men caved under Tavia’s affliction. Although, whoever hired them was smart in only contacting them by phone, so the information was useless.”
“It’s got to be Richard Howell, the front man for the Fray. That’s the only one who makes sense.” Ace finally lifted his head and looked at Kalen. “The question is, why did he wait so long to go after her?”
“Jagger gave her until tomorrow night at 6 p.m., considering we didn’t get here until midafternoon. That will give her over the twenty-four hours she requested,” Kalen said, looking over Ace’s shoulder. The hallway was behind him, leading the way to the bedrooms, one of which Clarissa had set up all of her equipment in. He couldn’t even begin to name half the stuff and left her to set things up after she yelled at him a couple times.
“I wonder why he’s being so patient with her. It’s not like we couldn’t just get her to tell us what we want to know.” Ace held up his hands at Kalen’s accusing stare. “Hey, I’m not saying we should do anything drastic, but come on, Kalen. If she’s keeping something vitally important from us, we should know immediately. You, of all people, deplore secrets.”
“Think about what she’s been through, though, running for her life. I wouldn’t tell anyone anything either, if I were her. What if she was wrong about whatever it is? We need to trust her to hand over the information tomorrow night after she’s had time to confirm things.” Kalen stood and walked over to the window, pulling the curtains back. Clouds had rolled in during the evening hours, and from the blackness outside, the storms were almost upon them.
“And what about her?” Ace asked. “We made love to her. You’re telling me that doesn’t elicit some trust on her part?”
“I do trust you.”
Ace stood up at hearing Clarissa’s voice. Turning, he saw her standing behind the couch, her arms wrapped around her middle, still in Kalen’s T-shirt. There were dark smudges under her eyes, revealing how exhausted she was. He should feel guilty that they had kept her up making love to her instead of letting her sleep, but he couldn’t. It had been the best night of his life. What he did feel shame over was the fact that she overheard him talking about her. He didn’t want her to feel bad over his lack of manners. Clarissa avoided his touch when he came around the couch.
“When you hear what I have to say, you probably won’t trust me,” Clarissa whispered, turning and walking toward the kitchen.
Ace shared a look with Kalen, and he tried to reassure himself that whatever was about to be divulged couldn’t be that bad. They both followed her into the kitchen to see that she was reaching for the coffee pot with trembling hands. Kalen reached her first, taking the pot and pouring the contents down the kitchen sink. “The last thing you need is coffee. You’re spent. You have no energy left and need sleep, not caffeine.”
Ace went to the refrigerator and pulled out the plate of food he had made her earlier. Popping it into the microwave to reheat the pasta, Ace turned to see Kalen motion her to sit at the table and set a glass of water in front of her.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad,” Kalen reassured her, pulling a nearby chair out with his foot and turning it backward. Straddling the seat, Kalen folded his hands over the back. “You need to eat.”
Clarissa didn’t say anything but continued to stare at the kitchen table. Silence descended on the room until the bell of the microwave rang, indicating her food was ready. Ace grabbed the plate and placed it in front of her. Grabbing a fork from the drawer, Ace sat down across from Kalen, holding the utensil up for her to take. It took a minute, but Ace waited her out, knowing she would eventually cave and do as they requested.
After a few bites, Clarissa put the fork down, the metal clanging against her plate. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she stood abruptly and walked over to the kitchen sink to stare out into the darkness. “What kind of child do you want?”
The question was out of thin air and so shocking that neither he nor Kalen responded. He didn’t have enough air in his lungs to respond. A baby? Ace saw Kalen�
�s face drain of color and his mouth open and close like a fish. Ace was sure he looked the same way.
“What are you talking about?” Ace managed to get out, still trying to suck in air. “We used condoms. They didn’t break. We would know that.” Shit, he was starting to sound like Clarissa when she got nervous and rambled.
Kalen stood up and backed away from the chair. Rubbing his hands over the sides of his jeans, he said in his calm manner, “It’s okay. Ace and I were talking earlier this morning and decided we want something long-term with you. We know it’s quick. Hell, we’ve only known each other two days, but it seems like forever. So”—Kalen swallowed—“we don’t want you to think that if you are pregnant, that’s why we’re with you. We’ll figure out which one of us you should legally marry, and we’ll just hyphenate our last name so all three of us have the same surname.”
“Long-term? Marry?” Clarissa spun around and caught herself from falling by grabbing on to the countertop behind her. “Pregnant?”
“Isn’t that what you’re saying? That you think there’s a possibility we got you pregnant last night?” Ace could finally draw air into his lungs normally, now that Kalen had laid the facts on the table. And he agreed with every word his friend said, so this could work out. It would work out.
“You can’t marry me!” Clarissa looked horrified at the prospect. Ace felt anger start to rise in his chest and wondered how one slip of a woman could make him feel so many emotions in a day. Emotions were Kalen’s gig, not his. It was starting to piss him off.
“If you are pregnant, you damn well will marry us!” Ace yelled, pushing the chair back with his legs and standing up. “What kind of men do you take us for? Didn’t you say, not ten minutes ago, that you trusted us?”
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