The Enforcer
Page 16
“Really with this?” Kayla rolled her eyes. “Her husband is dead.”
“Sure he is.” Matthias didn’t buy it either. The lost-at-sea story sounded too convenient and too familiar. Matthias was not a guy who believed in convenience.
Kayla stared at all of them. “Do you guys all take a class in being difficult?”
“It comes naturally,” Garrett said.
“I’m going back to work.”
She barely took one step before Wren stopped her. “What about this Doug Weston?”
“You’ve got the wrong guy.”
That was it. She made the declaration and walked away. Kept going until she got to the door to the kitchen. Slammed her heel into it to push it open.
Clearly they’d hit a nerve. Matthias now wanted to know why.
Wren watched her go. “Interesting.”
“The Doug thing?” Matthias knew that would poke at him until he figured it out. That guy should be the lead suspect. He’d vanished. So had Kayla, and maybe Doug had for the same reason. If so, Matthias needed to know the details.
“Her. I wouldn’t have picked her as your type.” Wren looked at Garrett. “Right?”
Oh, shit. “Aren’t you needed back in DC?”
Wren shook his head. “I’ve got time.”
“He’s into her,” Garrett said.
This was the absolute last thing Matthias wanted to talk about. Ever. “And when you leave take Garrett with you.”
“He stays here until we figure this out.” Wren slid the file across the table to Matthias. “Hey, you’re the one who asked for the favor.”
“To find Kayla. Your work is done.” Seemed obvious enough to Matthias.
“But I’m intrigued.”
Garrett laughed. “Last time he said that he ended up with a girlfriend.”
“Maybe this time you will,” Wren said, sounding just as amused.
Yeah, no more favors. That was Matthias’s new rule. “Shut the fuck up. Both of you.”
“I almost wish I could stay.” Wren made a tsk-tsking sound. “Any woman who can make Matthias Clarke turn his life around is a woman worth knowing.”
Matthias shook his head. Made a noise. Broke out all the nuh-uh-sounding responses he could think of. “It’s not like that.”
Wren looked at Garrett then back to Matthias. “Then what is it like?”
He had been asking that since he woke up this morning next to her. “I have no fucking idea.”
Chapter 18
Hours later, long after dinner and sunset, Wren left for DC and the marina settled down. Lauren and Elliot had come back in and the party boat of college-aged kids moved out after angry nearby residents called marina security there twice.
Now, a cool breeze blew through Annapolis and seeped in through the window. Kayla had left the curtains open just a sliver to take advantage of the fresh air. Not that she felt the cool draft. No, she was too busy enjoying the show on the other side of the bed as Matthias kicked off his shoes and reached for the bottom of his T-shirt.
He might not wear casual clothes often but he sure as hell looked great in them. She’d been mesmerized all day by the way the hem rested on his slim hips and rode up now and then to treat her to a peek of flat stomach.
She thought having him hang around would bug her. She’d been really wrong.
They’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm where he’d come in and out of the café during the day and she’d feed him. He never really had to ask and never got in the way. Several of the regular customers, older women who stopped by after book club and all their other activities, started waiting until they chatted with him before paying their bills and leaving. Listening to him make small talk with seventy-year-olds while he engaged in a bit of innocent flirting might be her favorite thing ever.
She lifted a leg and put her foot on the edge of the bed as she slicked moisturizer over her skin. “Have you noticed how many people have descended on the marina lately?”
“What?” He looked up then did a double take. His hands dropped and his gaze went to her legs.
Breast man or not, he was predictable on that score.
“Your people. Wren. All of Lauren’s customers.” She rubbed the excess lotion into her hands as she dropped her foot to the floor. “The person who wants me dead.”
He winced. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m serious.” She came around the bed and sat on the edge, facing him. “I moved here because it was quiet and homey. I could enjoy a small-town feel but be close to DC and not that far from NYC. Cities where I could easily disappear for a few days, if needed.”
“Your ability to survive amazes me.”
“We’re alike in that way.” The foster homes. Being passed around and never having a place to call his own. That had to change how a kid saw the world. Shape him. She couldn’t stop thinking about that and aching for the boy he’d been.
“Are you telling me you’re planning on running again?”
Man, he was not understanding her at all tonight. Which was interesting because everything about today had felt so . . . normal. “I’m saying it’s getting crowded.”
He’d stayed alert and played the role of bodyguard even in jeans, but something between them had changed. A small switch, perhaps, but she no longer felt like he was in the way. He fit into her life. He didn’t throw his money around. The expensive wrappings were just that with him. The man underneath was rock solid. Not entirely truthful with her yet, but since she hadn’t divulged her ultimate secret—hadn’t really told him about Doug Weston—she couldn’t blame Matthias for keeping parts of his life private.
And it had only been a few days. If anyone had told her that she would open up a piece of her life, even a little bit, so quickly she would have laughed.
He unzipped his jeans and shoved them down, letting them drop to the floor. “I’m not going anywhere, so don’t ask.”
“I don’t want you to leave.” It almost hurt to say the words because they’d become true. In such a short time, she’d gotten so used to having him around.
She wanted to write the attachment off as a bit of loneliness and a lot of attraction. Most times she could. She’d look at him and think any woman would want him so long as he kept the bossiness to a minimum. But he was more than a compelling man with an amazing body, though he did have one of those.
His hands went to the bottom of his tee, but he froze as she talked. “That’s a change.”
This could be it. She’d been waiting for some weird anti-commitment gene to flare up. Not that she wanted a relationship . . . she actually didn’t know what she wanted anymore. She’d spent years convincing herself being alone suited her. But having all these people around, spending time with Lauren, spending every other minute with Matthias, Kayla wondered if she’d just been compensating for all she’d lost. Lying to ease the pain.
Despite the risks and the very real possibility he’d put on his clothes and go sit on the porch, she dove in. “Wasn’t that the point of telling each other some of our secrets? To establish some level of intimacy. Not just sex. Maybe to build the start of trust, though I’m not sure we’re there yet.”
His eyes narrowed just a bit and only for a second. “Sounds right.”
Men. “Did my word choice scare you?”
“No.” He threw the shirt on the bed.
No running. No signs of panic. Well, wasn’t that interesting?
“Oh, really?” She picked at a string on the comforter. Tugged until it started to unravel then let it drop.
His gaze went to her fingers then back to her face. “Do I look scared to you?”
He looked hot and sexy and completely calm. Not what she was expecting at all. “Actually, no.”
“Good. Happy that’s settled.” He walked over to stand in front of her. Shimmied his way in until he stood between her legs. “But I admit I’d rather not talk right now.”
“What do you want?” She ran her palms up and down the outside of his legs.
He knew exactly the right thing to say. She liked so many things about him, including that. “We still have too many clothes on.”
“I bet I can solve that.”
Before he finished talking he reached down and tugged on her top. Slipped it up and off her. She’d just changed into the pajamas after a quick shower but was happy to let him peel them off again.
His fingertips brushed over her bare shoulders and down her throat. Over her breasts. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
She believed anything he said. With him, she did feel beautiful and powerful and strong. He didn’t overpower her, unless she asked him to. And right now she wanted him to take charge.
She reached for his boxer briefs and yanked them down until they slipped just over his increasing bulge. The feel of the elastic on his sensitive skin must have done something for him because all she could hear was a soft grumbling sound at the back of his throat. That special noise he made when she ran her fingers over him.
He’d washed his face and drops of water ran down his chest. She caught one with her tongue. Licked his stomach as her fingers slipped the briefs the rest of the way off. Squeezed his erection and felt the steady thump of his heartbeat under her ear.
When she closed her lips over him, his hips dipped forward. Strong hands held her there as she pumped him in and out of her mouth.
Then he pulled back and stared down at her. “I need to be inside you.”
The words skated through her. “Yes.”
Without saying a word he backed up and took her by the hand. Led her to the pillows at the other end of the bed and had her stand there while he crawled on top of the mattress. The nightstand drawer opened and banged shut again and she looked down to see a condom sitting next to his hip on the bed.
He reached for her. Strong hands landed on her hips and he dragged her over top of him, straddling him. “Perfect.”
The position let her see him, all of him. Need pulsed off him and his erection rubbed against her. The fierce intensity in his eyes made her tremble. Not from fear; from anticipation.
She pressed forward, bringing her body tight against his while her mouth settled on his neck. She trailed a line of kisses around to his throat. Felt him swallow under her lips. She liked that so much she made him do it again.
Heat beat between them. When he slipped his hand over her ass and ran a finger along the cleft between her cheeks her stomach flipped over. Then his hand traveled lower, came around to her stomach, and a finger slipped down and inside her. Plunged in and out. Rubbed and caressed her until her hips pitched forward. When he added a second finger her brain scrambled.
With her mind wild with need and her body on fire, she lifted her hips and reached for the condom. Drawing it out, she slid it over him. Taking her time until he growled in her ear. By the time she lowered her body over him, his moves had turned jerky and his breath stuttered in his chest.
The loss of control fueled her. She sank down. Felt him pulse inside her.
“God, Kayla.” He buried his head between her breasts. “I need you to move.”
“Not yet.” She wanted to savor this. Enjoy every minute.
“Damn.” He threw his head back. Strain showed in his neck muscles but he didn’t take over.
Still, she waited. Shifted a little and did it again when a shot of pleasure spiraled through her. “You feel so good.”
“You’re so wet and warm.”
Watching him hold his pleasure off was so sexy. She kissed him and even that slight movement had her internal muscles thumping. She needed to come. Wanted to feel him abandon all control.
She couldn’t hold back.
With her knees pressed deep into the mattress, she pushed up then lowered her body again. Loved every second of friction. Craved so much more.
But her body refused to wait. She could feel the excitement revving up inside her. Her muscles shook with the force of trying to hold back, so she gave in. The rhythm overwhelmed her and she let it sweep her up. Let Matthias’s hands guide her up and down on his length.
The orgasm ripped through her as she struggled to catch her breath. Her chest hurt from the force of it. She crushed her lips to his in a blinding kiss. Unleashed her moan in his mouth. Their bodies kept moving as the last ripples held her body in their grip.
To bring him with her, she squeezed her thighs tighter against his sides. His shoulders stiffened and she could feel him let go. His hips shifted and the heat continued to roll off him.
After riding it out, he dropped his forehead to her shoulder and bit down gently. The nibbling on her sensitive skin had her wrapping her body tighter around his.
It took another few minutes for their bodies to cool and the pulsing inside her to subside. Every nerve ending had sparked to life with electricity. They’d had sex several times now and it always felt like this. So secure. So empowering.
She lifted her head and stared down at him. She expected him to be half asleep. Instead, he studied her with an odd wariness.
The steady calm abandoned her. That look of his immediately put her on guard. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure.”
She grabbed the comforter and pulled it up around her. Leaned back so some air could move between them. His words had splashed a bucket of cold water on her and she wasn’t sure what exactly had gone wrong. “Are you having some sort of after-sex regret?”
“Not like you think.”
That wasn’t exactly a denial, but it was enough to make her move. She lifted up, separating her body from his. “I’m guessing this is where you become a dick. I should have seen it coming.”
Things were going too well. Things never went well for her. Hell, they rarely worked out at all. That was the price she paid for surviving seven years ago. No peace. Not ever.
She jumped off the bed and looked around for her pajamas. Being naked struck her as wrong all of a sudden.
“Kayla.” Before she could venture too far from the bed, he grabbed her arm. “This isn’t what you think.”
Sure, right. “Okay.”
“I need to tell you something.”
Terrible scenarios bombarded her brain. She landed on the most obvious one. “You are married.”
“She’s my birth mother.”
The comment had Kayla sitting back down hard on the edge of the bed. “What are you talking about?”
“I need you to know the truth.” He shook his head. “I should have told you before now. You deserved that much.”
“Whatever it is, say it now.” Because she had no idea what he was talking about.
“I came to find you because Nick was my half brother.”
Chapter 19
His timing sucked.
Matthias was still thinking that ten minutes later when they were both dressed and Kayla’s first bout of yelling had died down. She’d called him names as she paced around the small studio.
He didn’t fight her or even answer back. He’d earned her wrath and now he would take it. He also hoped she would wind down at some point so that he could explain. There were no signs of that happening any time soon.
But he’d brought this on himself. Of all the times to tell her the truth, that had been the wrong one. He’d blamed the guilt running through him. He took pride in being honest, even when it hurt. For the span of time while they were having sex he could put it aside. He was pretty sure that made him a dick.
She’d talked about intimacy and trust and he still hadn’t piped up and told her the one piece of his life that crossed with hers. The facts she deserved to know. No, he’d skipped to kissing. Didn’t stop until he was inside of her.
The rest, about his life before and the body in foster care. The years he spent hunting down the foster dad who thought it was okay to beat kids. She didn’t really have a right to know any of that. He could maintain his privacy there wi
thout breaking any sort of unspoken code. He wasn’t even sure he could share that and stay sane. But she’d needed to know about his connection to Nick so she could make a decision, and he hadn’t given her that.
He’d fucked up.
She broke her five minutes of complete silence without looking at him. “Starting tomorrow I want a different bodyguard.”
That was never going to happen. “Listen to me.”
He didn’t reach for her or try to touch her. She flinched anyway.
“We’re done talking.” Her gaze skipped to the bed. “Done doing anything.”
He could wait for permission or he could just let it out. He went with the latter, knowing she’d storm out if she didn’t want to listen. “I didn’t grow up with her. I didn’t even know who Mary Patterson was until the day she contacted me.”
Kayla paced to the window and stood there, looking out. Ignoring him. “I don’t care.”
He knew he should stop but the words flowed out of him and he couldn’t seem to shut them off. “She’d given me up. She was young and in no condition to take care of me. She talked about a drug problem and her attempts to get clean. Her family gave up. They didn’t support her and my dad bolted, stand-up guy that he was.”
Kayla’s hand tightened on the curtain. “You can stop talking now.”
“I’m not looking for sympathy here. I’m trying to explain.” He stood in the middle of her studio in his underwear and he didn’t care about any of that so long as she listened to him. “God, Kayla, I’d never had anyone and this woman burst into my insulated steady world, talking about how she’d changed her life and remarried. She’d found the right guy and got married then he died in a car crash. It was one horror after another, but she had this other son. The one she clearly loved when she’d spent a lifetime not loving me. Nick, the brother I never knew.”
Kayla continued to stare out the window. “Nick never said anything.”
“He didn’t know.” It was clear to him that Mary never intended to tell Nick or anyone that she had an older son.
“At least she loved you enough to give you another life.”