She walked to him on wobbly legs. “But he won’t be down for long.”
Jason nodded. The fight with the psychopath in the fire had taught him that.
“Then let’s get out of here and go home.”
20
Keila didn’t waste any time. She moved as fast as she could to her room, Jason keeping an arm wrapped around her waist for support. She’d been incredibly grateful and also as pissed as hell to see him in the bar when she’d opened her eyes. He’d followed her, goddamn it, and placed himself in danger, again. All for her. It physically hurt to remember Zero’s hand flying toward him, but a warmth still stole through her body at his touch. Her shirt rode up a little as she walked and Jason’s hand came in touch with her bare skin. Sensation rushed through her. She grabbed her single bag and hobbled outside, hailing a passing cab.
“You know I’m not yours, right?”
Jason looked at her, his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”
She slid into the back seat of the taxi and Jason followed. “You said let’s go home like it was that simple, like I belong to you. This arrangement is temporary, very temporary.”
The cab driver met her eyes in the rearview mirror and Keila glared at him.
“I’m sorry, forgive me for once again being there to save you from your homicidal friends and then giving you somewhere safe to stay the night. Next time I’ll just finish my drink.” Jason withdrew his hand and stared out the window, and Keila immediately missed his warmth.
Give it up, already. He saved your ass twice in two days.
“I’m sorry,” she paused. Damn, it was hard. “I don’t, as a general rule, play well with others. I’ve never had to.”
He laughed at that, a short, sharp noise.
“I am sorry, and thank you.”
The cab pulled up at his apartment, and Jason opened his door and slid out onto the street. “If you really don’t want to be here with me, then I won’t stop you from leaving, and I won’t follow you anymore.” He sighed, and threw the driver a twenty. “I’m going up to my apartment now. I hope to see you there.”
Keila scrambled out after him. Catching up to him, she took his hand. “This is hard for me, but I really am thankful you were there tonight.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
Jason’s eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. “I’m glad I was, too, but I’m serious. I won’t stop you. I’ve seen the darkness chasing you enough in two days to get it. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you living your entire life running from it,” he paused, and his arms tightened before he let her go and stepped back. “I’m going inside to get cleaned up. If you’re not there when I’m done, well, I’ll understand.”
Keila didn’t answer as Jason walked away and then entered the lobby. Her eyes didn’t leave him and with every step Jason took away from her, her decision became clearer. She didn’t trust anyone, and never had, not since them. But Jason had come into her life unexpectedly, and had refused to leave ever since. He wasn’t at all connected to those who pursued her. He’d defended her too many times, done too much damage to them for that. Neither did she think he was just pretending to care. The way he’d looked at her that night, first in the bar when he’d been happy, laughing, and then in the cab when she’d rejected him. . . . No, you couldn’t fake that. But why, then? Nobody cared that much for someone else without a reason. A life of betrayals had taught her that much. A cold wind blew down the street and Keila shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She’d lost Jason’s coat somewhere in everything that happened that night. Jason. God, she missed his warmth already. She didn’t understand why the hell he wanted to be with her, but she was fast becoming addicted to the way he made her feel, and hell, she didn’t want to be alone.
Moments later, she heard water running as she opened the unlocked door and slipped into Jason’s apartment. He’d given her the choice, true, but he’d also left the door unlocked. Cocky little thing, wasn’t he. Keila’s cheeks heated at the thought. From what she felt when Jason pressed against her when they kissed, his cock was anything but small. A shiver ran through her as she remembered the feel of his lips, his hard dick pressing into her thigh as he crushed her to his chest.
Well, if you’re diving in, might as well do it properly.
Jason entered the room wrapped in nothing but a towel, water dripping down his defined chest. A heat of a different kind bloomed in her core as her eyes met his.
He grinned. “Still here?”
“Still here.” She crossed the room and snuggled down on his waytoocomfortable couch, pulling a plush comforter over her. He’d left a window ajar and the cool night air stirred through her hair. Jason walked over to her and scooped her up, blanket and all. Ignoring her shriek of surprise, he walked them across the apartment and into his room, where he placed her gently on the bed. He touched her chin, meeting her gaze again, and then kissed her softly on the lips.
“It’s late; sleep.”
What? Sleep? How on earth did he expect her to sleep? Especially when she was close enough to see the hard outline of him under the towel. That and his bare chest were eliciting extremely immoral thoughts.
His eyes left her to glance at the bedside clock, and Keila followed his gaze. It was a couple of minutes past midnight. It wasn’t that late, really. She’d been up all night before, running from her demons. Perhaps literal ones; who knew with Zero? Keila turned her body to get up on her knees and her head throbbed with the sudden movement.
Damn it.
“Shhhh,” he kissed her forehead, and then his shadow moved across the room. Jason opened a bedside drawer and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs. He turned around and then dropped the towel, pulling on the briefs.
You could at least turn around and give me a peek after the night we’ve had.
As Jason turned back around, Keila’s body betrayed her and she yawned. Well, shit. Jason smiled and lifted up the sheet, pulling her down and into his side, her back to his front. He wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel the heat of his bare skin along the entire length of her body. He kissed the back of her neck and she shivered. She was definitely aroused, but that wasn’t all. She closed her eyes, trying to take it all in. What was she feeling? It came to her as Jason lightly stroked a hand along her arm. Comfort, safety. She could close her eyes, and he’d still be there in the morning, even without giving him an orgasm first.
“I like you a lot, Keila,” his breath whispered against her neck. “Please don’t force me out. I won’t ever hurt you.” He pulled her closer, resting his cheek against hers.
God, could she do this? Really do this? She had to give him one last chance, a last chance to back out while she still had the strength to let him go.
“Do you understand what you’re getting into? Really understand?”
He chuckled. “Probably not, but I’m okay with that, and you will be, too.”
“Don’t be too quick to sign yourself up to my personal ride into hell,” she whispered.
His answer came with a further tightening of his arms and another kiss.
“I already have.”
21
Keila woke the next morning to soft kisses, pressing first against the back of her neck and then across her shoulders. She stirred with the light, tickling kisses.
“Good morning, Gorgeous.” His kisses moved lower, following her spine. Heat surged within her again, her body awash with sensation as his touch grew deeper, harder. His strong back and shoulders were outlined against hers in the morning light. Another kiss, lower again, made her shiver. God, how could she do this?
“About last night. I like you too, Jason, a lot,” the kisses against her back paused. “I like you a lot, but I don’t want to. Everyone I’ve ever cared about dies, and I don’t want you to.”
The kisses resumed, trailing back up to her shoulders. “Then it’s my job to make sure I stay alive. Keeping yourself safe is all you need t
o worry about. I have your back, and we’ll be fine.”
Tears squeezed into the corners of her eyes and Keila blinked them away. It was time to tell him the truth. If she was going to be with him, she had to.
“They’re after me because of what I can do.”
“And you kick ass.”
She snorted. Jason could always make her laugh, even when it felt like her entire world was changing and shifting.
“They want me because I can see things. Because I have psychic powers.”
Silence. She rolled over, her body lying under his, and took his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. This was it, this would be where he walked away.
Jason grinned.
What the ever-loving fuck?
“I figured it was something pretty special for them to want you so bad.”
She waited for his ridicule, his rejection, but it didn’t come. The only thing to follow her revelation was more kisses, dropping down her front, his bare chest pressed to her. Keila groaned as Jason’s tongue traced down her body and along the edges of her bra. He licked his way along the lace, his hand brushing against her covered nipple. It pebbled beneath his touch and Jason echoed her moan. He laid a line of soft kisses against her throat before falling back and lying beside her, his hand still caressing her neck.
“You’re bruised again, here this time. I hate what those bastards did to you.”
“I’m okay,” she shrugged. “I always am.”
“I want to find Meathead, and meet him on my terms. Make the asshole pay, for everything he’s done to you.”
“So do I, but he’s always come to me. I don’t know how he finds me, much less how to track him.”
“You’re psychic, what does that mean exactly? Can you find where he is?”
Keila fell silent. She could try, but she had been avoiding using her mental beacon. It seemed like every time she’d used it to locate another girl, Zero showed up only a few minutes behind. Zero had come bursting into Emily’s apartment less than half an hour after she’d located it herself. How the hell was he tracking her? Was her mental bat signal sending out some kind of wavelength he could lock onto? Could it really be that simple?
A burst of fear ran through her at the thought of meeting Zero again head-on. Keila shoved it away, replacing fear with grim determination. She’d been battling Zero for years; nothing was different. Keila frowned, and Jason smoothed her eyebrows over with his fingers. Except, of course, it was. Everything was different. Keila had something—no, someone—in her life worth protecting. Someone worth fighting for, someone to live for. She was done playing the mouse; time to reverse roles and become the predator herself. Here goes nothing. . . .
“Okay, I can try. Let’s draw him out. No time like the present.”
Jason kissed her hard on the lips, and then slipped out of bed and dressed. Keila followed, packing two go-bags just in case they couldn’t make it back to the apartment. “We’ll have to pick you up a burner on the way.”
Jason stepped out of the lobby first, holding her back and then waving Keila out behind him after he’d scoped the streets. Uhhh, nope. It wasn’t going to work if he was going to go all alpha protector the moment danger reared its head.
“We’re a team, Jason.”
“And you’re injured. Let me take the risk if you don’t have to, all right?”
Okay. She could live with that, as long as he wasn’t intending to bench her entirely. That shit would not fly. They ducked into a nondescript corner store, picking up two new burner cells at Jason’s insistence. He then bought them a couple of shakes and breakfast sandwiches and guided her to a bench in the middle of the park.
“Okay, we’re in the open, and we can also see anyone coming from all directions. Go for it.”
Keila threw her mind open wide, taking in one last look at the peaceful scene in front of her. She’d been there once before, passing through, and the small space had almost called to her. Tucked away, almost hidden within a larger park, the space calmed her, which was something she sorely needed. A pond lay next to the bench, and a duck swam by lazily, sparing Keila a passing glance, no doubt hoping for some of her bread. What would life be like if all you had to worry about was where your next meal was coming from? If the size of the duck was anything to go by, that one didn’t have to worry for very long. Life would be so peaceful, so calm, floating out on the water. There was a time when Keila had daydreamed, a time when she’d wanted more. She’d dreamed of going to college, maybe even falling in love and having a family, something she’d never had before. Then Zero’s first visit had crushed all that, and she’d erased all possibility of anything more from her mind.
What would it be like, having a family? She stole a glance at Jason, who had sat back against the bench, looking for all appearances like he was out for a lazy morning. Keila knew different. He’d be on watch, coiled and ready for action.
What would it be like to be with him for years? God, what would it be like to be a mother? An image of a laughing, blonde-haired child with dimples made her smile. What would their children be like? The vision faded as Keila snapped back to reality. She was broke and homeless, with seemingly a whole bunch of people just itching to kill her. No child should ever grow up like that, like she’d had to. Keila sighed deeply. She wondered what the rest of her life would be like. What would Emily’s life be like now Keila had found her? Had she destroyed any chance Emily had for happiness, too?
“A penny for your thoughts.”
Keila looked up to see Jason leaning forward, looking at her in concern.
“Have you ever woken up one day and wished your life was entirely different?” she ripped off a piece of bread and tossed it into the lake. May as well make someone happy that morning.
Jason wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “All the time, but then the last few days, I’ve woken up to something different, something I want to keep,” he kissed her temple. “At some point you just have to give up wishing and make your own life.”
How could she ever do that? “I would kill for a fresh start,” she grimaced, “probably literally. But I have no idea how to fix this.”
Jason pulled his gaze from hers and pointed clear across the park. Keila’s heart raced as she took in Zero stalking about near where chess tables were set up. Jason spoke first, “Let's get rid of him, and then we can do whatever you want.”
22
So Zero had finally decided to show up. She had her confirmation that Zero was using her own powers to track her. But, just like the previous night, he didn’t show up alone. Lurking behind him were the same two monkeys in suits. Fortunately, both were looking extremely worse for wear from Jason’s intervention, most of both their faces displaying purpling bruises. One was even holding a hand to his side as he half ran, half walked behind the lumbering Zero. They did not look happy. Keila’s eyes narrowed as she took it all in. This was it; after years of running, she had a way to force Zero’s hand, and she was taking it.
“Go!” she ordered Jason.
He jerked forward and then held his hands up. “Hell, no, that wasn’t our deal.”
Shit, he thinks I’m going to run off and leave him again?
Come on, it’s not like you can blame the man!
Keila grabbed his face and kissed him, her tongue snaking into his mouth as Jason’s eyes widened. Just as quickly, she withdrew. If Zero got much closer and cleared over the rise, he was going to spot them both. She didn’t have much time.
“I’ll be back.” Keila grabbed Jason’s hand as he raised an eyebrow. “I promise. But I can’t track Zero if I’m constantly worried about being jumped from behind by the suits.” She paused and took a deep breath. God, she hoped he agreed with her. She was so not hiding and leaving Zero to him. It was her he was after and he was her responsibility.
“I saw their faces. They’re as pissed as hell, and I’d bet anything that it’s over the pounding you gave them last night. If you go and surprise them, they’ll f
ollow you and that will give me time to get behind Zero undetected.”
Jason frowned, clearly not happy with the idea. He pulled her burner cell from her pocket and pressed it into her hand, his eyes blazing. “You keep this on you at all times, and check in every chance you get.”
“I will.”
If I can.
In the end, Keila was going to do what she needed to end this, no matter what she promised.
Jason pulled her forward into his arms and kissed her, his turn to enter her mouth and brush his tongue against hers. He pulled back, kissed her on the forehead, and then broke into a sprint, going over the hill and intercepting the two men. As Keila predicted, they followed him across the park and into the street. Zero’s heavy footsteps slowed, then stopped altogether, before picking up again at a faster pace. He’d taken the bait.
“Okay, Meathead.” Keila grinned to herself at Jason’s nickname for Zero. “Let’s play.”
Keila turned and took a deep breath before bolting across the running path and then back out onto the main road, straight through Zero’s field of vision. She ran just slowly enough for him to keep her in his sights, but fast enough to stay out of arm’s reach. She couldn’t help but laugh as the wind caught her hair. Zero clearly punched way above her weight class and usually snuck up on her, but this? For the first time, she’d surprised him, and with her smaller and slimmer build, she was faster. Much faster.
“Game on!” she shouted into the wind, taking the route she and Jason had pre-planned. It circled her through an alley with a double entrance way and then spat her out only to double back to the other side of town. She could only hope that Jason was having just as good luck with his goons. The monkey suits were her backup plan if she failed to double back behind Zero and then keep him in her sights. If she couldn’t catch the prize, then his two minions would have to suffice. Jason had bested them the previous night, true, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. He’d surprised them then while they’d been distracted, having far too much fun beating the crap out of the bartender. In other circumstances, two against one could be a deadly match.
Keila (Dreamcatchers Romantic Suspense Series Book 2) Page 10