* * * *
Hours later, Addison and her mother sat in Reese’s living room by the fire. The room was attached to her kitchen, where Reese was now brewing tea for them. Both women sat on the couch, facing each other, still holding hands. Her mother was such a wonderful woman and embraced the idea of living at the compound, already offering her ideas on the future cabins. Cynthia and Reese also discussed their biological father and had common ground in agreeing that he was a selfish bastard, only out for himself.
“Now that we’ve gotten caught up and I’m all cried out, are you going to tell me about those two men?” Cynthia asked, her eyes crinkling with her smile.
“Oh, Mom. I don’t even know where to start,” Addison answered, blowing her bangs in frustration.
“The beginning is always good,” Cynthia returned, giving her hand a squeeze.
“You make it sound so simple.” Addison looked over at Reese, who was pouring hot water into three mugs. “Reese makes it look easy, too. But its not.”
“That’s because you’re two different women with two different needs.” For a traditional woman, Cynthia had handled the explanation of Reese’s relationship with her men in stride, saying love came in many different ways and one needed to embrace it however it came.
“Well, I told you how I ended up leaving to begin with. Cane convinced me my life was in danger, and I went into hiding with him. I wanted to call you, but Cane stressed how dangerous it was to contact you.”
“Thank God you did go into hiding,” Cynthia voiced. “Can you imagine if these Fray people had gotten to you before Cane explained who you were? You did the right thing. If I had known your father was a Noble, I would have been more careful with you. I would have tried to protect you, maybe raised you in the country away from regular people.”
“We are regular people, Mom.”
“I’m sorry, honey. That didn’t come out right,” Cynthia said, looking embarrassed.
“It’s okay. I know what you meant,” Addison reassured her mother. “Cane did tell me who I was and that I even had a sister. But everything happened so fast. One day, I was living my life, and the next, I was on the run with some guy I didn’t even know. We were together for months, and the more I got to know Cane, the more I realized he was just as vulnerable and lonely as I was.”
“And you fell in love with him.” Cynthia worded it as a statement, not a question, but Addison nodded anyway.
“Yes. He’s not an easy man to love, not like Shane. Cane is defensive and guarded. He can be ruthless when he needs to be.”
“Did something happen between you two?”
“The night we made love, he got a call. Cane got up from the bed and took the phone into the bathroom. I heard him talking about Reese and how much cash he would get to bring her in. I thought—” Addison choked on the words, her eyes filling with more tears. She thought she’d cried enough for the day, but her emotions didn’t agree.
“She thought what any woman would have thought in that situation,” Reese cut in, bringing their tea on a tray and setting it on the leather ottoman.
“You thought he was betraying you,” Cynthia finished. “I agree with Reese, honey. You were thrown into a terrible situation, and your life was turned upside down.”
“That’s the thing, Mom. It wasn’t that terrible. I fell in love with Cane and then in one moment, made a decision that would get me kidnapped by his enemies. Our enemies.” Addison let go of her mother’s hand and pulled her feet up on the couch, grabbing hold of her knees. “Cane kept a gun by the nightstand, and when he came out, I grabbed it. I pointed the gun directly at him, accusing him of using me to get to Reese.”
“Oh, Addison,” Reese said sadly. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? No wonder you’ve been so turned upside with guilt.”
“The look on his face,” Addison continued, her mind in the past, not hearing Reese talk. “I dropped the gun and ran. I grabbed the keys and drove to the airport. That’s where they got me.”
“And you don’t think Cane has a share of the blame?” Reese asked. “He should have told you what was going on.”
“Yes, Cane is just as guilty as I am of not trusting. But he didn’t pull a gun on me.” Addison finally let go of her knees and accepted her tea from her mother.
“We all make mistakes. But when you love someone, doesn’t forgiveness come into play?” Reese took a sip of tea, giving Addison that knowing look over the rim. “If Cane loves you half as much as you love him, he’ll suck it up and get over it. Men are worse than woman when it comes to relationships. They can be such wussies.”
“And where does Shane come into this?” Cynthia asked over Addison choking on her tea at Reese’s comment about Cane.
Addison smiled once she was able to swallow. “Shane has been my rock, my salvation. Being kept in isolation and then suddenly being around people, Shane helped me adjust. He hasn’t left my side, even when I’ve said some hurtful things in anger. We’ve gotten to know each other in the barest sense, and I love him for who he is.”
“You mean he forgives you for your mistakes,” Cynthia clarified.
Addison shrugged. “I never looked at it like that. But yes, Shane would forgive me anything.”
“I know my relationship with Theo and Jagger is unconventional, but it works,” Reese shared, setting her cup back on the tray. “We live a different life than humans. Your mother is right in a way. We aren’t regular people, Addison. We’re special, and we have to adjust to a new way of living.”
“But what if we can’t adjust? What if Cane and Shane don’t want to?” Addison wasn’t going to pretend the thought hadn’t crossed her mind every time she saw Theo and Jagger around Reese. The way they both protected and loved her was precious, but could she live that way? Did she want to live that way?
“Do you?” Reese asked, echoing her question.
“I don’t know,” Addison whispered.
* * * *
Shane was standing at the window of Jagger’s office, replaying the vision of Addison jumping into his arms this morning. She actually walked right by Cane and chose him. Well, at least that’s how it felt at the time. In reality, he knew Addison still loved Cane and they would have to deal with it sooner or later.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shane hadn’t heard Cane enter the office and turned at the sound of his question, guessing the time had come sooner. Jagger had been sitting at his desk, but stood when Cane entered the room. If he were Jagger, he’d leave, too. “If you need me, I’ll be out with the women.”
Cane stepped into the office after Jagger left and closed the door. “So? You had a whole plane ride to tell me you were in love with her. Is there a reason you didn’t share the news?” Facing Shane, he leaned back against the wood as if having another man love your woman was an everyday occurrence.
“What Addison and I feel for each other is not your concern. You chose to walk away when we gave you every chance to help rescue her. You left of your own volition.” Shane was not one to rile easily, but Cane seemed to be that one in a million that could make it happen. “Whatever happened between the two of you is in the past.”
“Is it?” Cane cocked his head to the side. “And what would happen if I say I want her back?”
For a split second, Shane thought of nothing but compelling him to leave. It was either that, or beat the shit out of him. But Shane knew Cane as well as anybody could. He was hurt Addison hadn’t acknowledge him and lashing out at him for being the reason. Shane would have felt the same way in his shoes, but Cane had brought all this on himself by not sticking around to face Addison when things got tough. “I would say go ahead and try.”
“You’re awfully confident for being a rebound.”
Okay, Shane thought. Maybe compelling Cane would be the way to go. “Don’t diminish what we have, man. I’m trying my best to have a reasonable conversation with you.”
“Really? And here I thought we were talking about y
ou standing aside while I fu—”
Thud.
Shane’s knuckles ached from the punch to Cane’s jaw. Damn, that hurt. Shane shook his hand out, trying to get rid of the pain. Cane’s head had snapped back into the door, but he hadn’t move out of position. Blood dripped from the split in his lip. He used the back of his hand to wipe it away. “Guess I deserved that.”
“You deserve a lot more for walking out on her,” Shane said, backing up a few steps to give them much-needed space. “She needed you.”
“Just for the record, she walked out on me. Using a gun, no less.” Cane finally moved away from the door and walked around Jagger’s desk to take a seat in the leather office chair. Leaning back, Cane set his feet on the desk and crossed his legs. “When a woman points a gun to your chest, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where you stand. And she obviously didn’t need me after you got her out of there. She had you.”
Shane suddenly felt the toll of the last few days and sank tiredly into the chair across from the desk. Getting Cynthia out had been no stroll on the beach, and having to ride back with Cane had been worse. Having him anywhere near Addison was brutal. “Why are you here?”
“Because someone knew where I was. I need to find out how.” Cane looked away, which was a rare thing. He didn’t have it in him to show weakness. “I need to make sure they can’t find her.”
“You still love her.”
“We fucked.” Cane raised both hands as if surrendering, which was ludicrous, even if he was mocking the situation. “If she thought it was more, well, nothing I can do about that. But I always finish what I start.”
“That’s bullshit,” Shane spit out. “You handed over her information and then left. You didn’t finish anything. I did.”
“I spent a year obtaining that information and knew only your team could get her out. I finished my end of the deal.”
“You’re delusional.” Shane looked down at his knuckles. Opening and closing his fingers only made the ache worse. Cane was lucky his jaw wasn’t broken.
“Think what you want. Bottom line is this, when they found me in Timbuk-fucking-tu with two Fray agents who weren’t even Rogue, I knew we had a problem.”
“And your first thought was to come here, where Addison is? Where our group is going to be living?” Shane asked incredulously. “I think your senses may have been warped.”
“What I think, make that know…what I know is that I’m the best Tracker alive. If someone has been on this mountain, I’ll be the first to know.”
“Modest, aren’t we?”
“I’ll head out at first light tomorrow,” Cane said, ignoring Shane’s taunt. “I just want to verify the mountain hasn’t been breached.” Cane let his boots fall with a thump and then stood up, pushing the chair back with legs.
“And then what?”
* * * *
“That’s a good question,” Addison said as she swung open the office door. There was no way Cane hadn’t known she was on the other side. She knew firsthand how good his hearing was and was confident he knew the minute she left the living room to walk down the hall towards the office. Cane wanted her to hear him say those hurtful things, trying to minimize what they shared to hurt her, the way she had hurt him. “If I was just a quick fuck, then why did it matter if they found me?”
Shane rose from the chair. Addison glanced down to see his knuckles red and swollen. Without a word, she walked to where he stood and reached for his hand. When he tried to resist her efforts, Addison whispered, “It’s okay. It doesn’t take a lot of energy to heal this type of injury. And my gift is telling me it’s acceptable to help you.”
Addison brought his hand up and then opened his fist to see the damage. Placing her hand above his, separated by an inch, Addison felt the pin pricks start in her fingers and toes and work their way to her core. The pain usually associated with healing a person only became unbearable when it was life threatening. With this type of injury, the sharp tingles felt more like her entire body had fallen asleep and was fighting to awaken. The air around their hands made a popping sound, and the heat generated from her hands enveloped Shane’s until his knuckles resumed their normal shape and color.
“See? All better.” Addison ran her thumb over the healed area and remembered how Shane’s hands had touched her. The memory caused her stomach to flutter, and a part of her was self-conscious at having such a reaction in front of another man, even one she loved, no matter what he thought of her.
“And me? I don’t get that same treatment?” Cane strolled around the desk until he placed himself in front of it, sitting back on the surface and crossing his black boots in front of him. “Oh, wait. No, I don’t. You’d rather shoot me.”
“Cane, I—”
“Water under the bridge, Addison.” Cane waved a hand, dismissing whatever she was going to say. “I’m not here to rehash the past. I’ll be gone by tomorrow.”
Addison felt a rise of fury that only Cane could bring out. “You son of a bitch! Water under the bridge? Seriously?” Shane grabbed Addison before she could reach Cane, and no amount of shrugging him off would get Shane to let her go. “You tell me, Cane, what was I supposed to think when you get a phone call after we made love and all but announce to the world that you’d hunt Reese down for cash?”
Cane’s scar went from a light pink to a bright red, and his brown eyes darkened until they were black. This was the man Addison could fight with. This was the man who showed his passion instead of false bravado. “What any woman would have thought after having spent six months with a man who would lay down his life for her! You were supposed to trust me!” Cane yelled, his black hair flying into his face.
“Trust you? You went into the bathroom and told me it was a ‘private’ call! It never crossed your mind to say, ‘Hey, I’m trying to throw the Fray off of our trail?’ Or give me some type of signal that what you were about to say was a lie?” Addison finally got Shane to let go, and while he stepped back to let them argue, she was grateful for his silence and thankful that he understood she needed to say these things.
“This coming from the woman who not an hour before that phone call screamed I love you during an orgasm? If you loved me, like you claimed, you would have trusted me!”
“I am not your mother! I am not the one who left her little boy to fend for himself!” Addison knew it was a low blow, especially bringing up his past in front of Shane. Cane had shared his childhood with her when she had trouble accepting her biological father who was no better than the dirt on her shoe. But she didn’t know how else to make Cane realize that he was the one with trust issues, not her. “You should have trusted me with the truth. How do you think I felt when you agreed to hunt down Reese?”
“You pulled a fucking gun on me, Addison! Don’t stand there, all high and mighty, like I wasn’t the one looking down a barrel with a bullet in the chamber. At least my mother had the decency to not threaten my life!”
By this time, Addison was toe to toe with Cane, her head tilted back in order to look him in the eyes. Seeing Cane with so much fury and pain emanating from him was almost her undoing. Tears filled her eyes at the pain she caused him, and although Addison would never let him off the hook for not telling her the truth about the call, it hurt her to know he thought she would actually have shot him. “I would never have pulled the trigger, Cane,” Addison whispered, not caring her tears fell down her cheeks for him to see. “I panicked, and it was the first weapon I saw. But I dropped the gun, not caring if you worked for the Fray. At that moment, I didn’t care if you were going to kill me and then go after Reese. Because I loved you.”
The room became silent, ragged breathing the only sound reaching her ears. Addison waited for Cane to say something, but eventually, he just turned and walked out, slamming the office door behind him. Addison stared at the wall behind the desk, afraid to turn and face Shane. What would he think of her? How could he stand to love a woman who had confessed her love to another man? When she
felt Shane wrap his arms around her, Addison broke down. He picked her up and sat both of them down in the chair, rocking her and murmuring soft words of comfort. She tried to tell him she was sorry. She tried to tell him she loved him. Addison tried to form a lot of words, but couldn’t manage around the sobs tearing from her chest.
Chapter Five
Shane sat on the step of Addison’s log cabin, staring into the blackness of the trees, ignoring the blanket of stars above him. The night was clear, although the temperature had dropped significantly. Shane ignored the cold air while contemplating where they should go from here. He knew what he was getting himself into when he let himself fall for Addison, and he still had no intention of leaving her. But he also knew part of her heart belonged to Cane, and now he was dealing with the fallout.
“You can always hope a black bear takes him out tomorrow,” Jagger’s voice cut through the wind. Shane looked to where the walkway was from the main house to see Jagger wearing an old FBI sweatshirt, courtesy from his old days working for the government. In his hands were two jackets. Throwing one to Shane before shrugging his way into the other, Jagger said, “Will be a tight fit, but it’s better than nothing.”
Shane caught the coat, setting it down next to him, not bothering to put it on. “A black bear wouldn’t do a good enough job. It still leaves Addison loving someone else.”
“You knew that going into it.” Jagger shoved his hands inside the coat pockets, his breath creating a cloud of mist. “You were deluding yourself if you thought it might not come down to this. And you might sit there and say that having a ménage is out of the question, but we both know you’ll try anything if it means keeping Addison. And in all likelihood, that seems to be the only viable option.”
Noble Healing [Nature's Nobles 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6